


A Light on Umbara || Rexsoka

by RayneTheWolf108



Series: Thicker than Blood [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Aged her up a bit because that seems to be people's biggest problem, Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Ahsoka has a new outfit in this series, Ahsoka is about 20, Ahsoka totally should've been there tho, Angst, Bittersweet, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Disobeying Orders, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone knows Rex loves Ahsoka, F/M, First Kiss, Fives is a wingman, Fluff, Might change up order of events in show, Much Cursing, Mutual Pining, Pong Krell is a dick, Post-Episode: s04e07 Darkness on Umbara, Rex is still young, Slow Burn, Umbara (Star Wars), change my mind, enjoy everyone!, except anakin, first in the series, i think it's cute, like 11, rexsoka, sorry - Freeform, the clones deserve better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22382521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayneTheWolf108/pseuds/RayneTheWolf108
Summary: AU if Ahsoka was on Umbara (She totally should've been)When Master Skywalker was called away from the front, leaving her in charge of the 501st Batallion she didn't blink, didn't even question it when they told her another General would be called in to help out. What she did react to was the general being the infamous Pong Krell. She had heard the stories about him, and she was determined to make sure her men did not face the same fate as his. She swore on her life.Captain Rex, her second in command, questions her decisions, deciding to follow the General, causing a strain between them. However, as more and more of his brother's fall, he sees what Ahsoka meant.Little did either of them know this siege would bring out a new side to both the Commander and Captain.Totally Rexsoka for the win!Don't Like, Don't Read
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Ahsoka Tano
Series: Thicker than Blood [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709824
Comments: 54
Kudos: 331





	1. S04E07

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT!
> 
> Ahsoka is 20 in this (I know she's technically 16 in the show at this time, but I wanted to age her up so people might feel more okay with the ship blah blah blah)
> 
> She also has a new outfit, which you will see in the beginning of Chapter 1
> 
> https://sta.sh/020ios4npg1m

[Ahsoka Tano Aged 20](https://sta.sh/01bmpc9rsgr8)

* * *

"Masters Krell and Till will give us air support in the South while Anakin's troops come in from the North, taking out enemy resistance. It is imperative that we conquer the capital city as quickly as possible, and _hold_ it." Kenobi's voice echoed over the room to the troops present for the mission briefing. By his side was General Anakin Skywalker, Captain Rex, and Commander Ahsoka Tano. 

"Our biggest problems will be the local militia. The Umbarans have aligned themselves with the Separatists, and are heavily armed." Skywalker's voice held a natural command as he warned his troops of what they would face on the planet. "ARC Trooper Fives will be assisting my unit on this special assignment. The clone, Fives, stood taller when the attention shifted to him and he held his blaster proudly.

"Ready to do my part General Skywalker." Fives gave a firm nod, and the excitement in his voice was obvious to those who knew him the most. 

Tano spoke up from her place beside him and nudged him with her elbow, "just like old times." The clone looked at her and though she couldn't see it, a smile made it's way onto his face. It was no secret that the 501st battalion held a close connection to the Togruta, and cared for her like one of their own, but it was strengthened by the fact that she felt the same about them, protecting them fiercely whenever possible.

"Anakin, Ahsoka, remember that Cody and I will be 12 clicks to your South, we're counting on you to take out those militias." Obiwan's voice was firm when he spoke with his former padawan. 

Anakin smirked and gave a shrug, "does my battalion have to do _everything_?" He joked. Ahsoka from her place by Fives and Rex cracked a smile at the banter the two had with one another as a way of showing their brotherly affection.

"You always seem to volunteer." Kenobi's response was light and the two Generals nodded to one another before heading their separate ways.

"Come on Snips, let's go hunt us a militia," Skywalker called over her shoulder and she followed swiftly behind, the troops moving to follow the Commander and General.

* * *

She couldn't tell if it was night or day on the planet, she had just been told it was dark for the whole cycle, so it was a miracle anything was alive here at all. She stood by Rex and Fives, hand holding onto the bar above to avoid falling. 

They didn't get very far before cannons started to fire at the ships, blasts of green and purple exploding in the sky beside them. The ride got a little bumpy and her grip tightened, thankful she was surrounded by clones in the case her grip failed. They flew by mines that were launched into the air and the pilots did their best to avoid them, however, with all the mines it was hard to get out without a scratch. 

With care, she looked out over the edge of the ship, down to all the firepower the Umbarans held to try and attack the Republic. She raised a brow. "That's a _looot_ of firepower." She commented, noticing Hardcase looking next to her. 

"Nothing we can't handle, sir." He hummed with excitement and she shook her head with a fond smile. Leave it to Hardcase to gloat about the weaponry. She was about to bite back a response when an explosion must have gone off near them because the ship gave a jerk and her head whipped back, hitting one of the clones who groaned in pain, but dismissed it when she looked to them concerned.

She turned around and yelped when a clone flew into her and knocked her into Hardcase who stabilized her and the clone who had fallen on her. She took one look at the helmet and immediately knew it was Tup. "Hang on tight!" She yelled over the sound and pushed them back to grip tightly on the bar. Tup nodded and held on with both hands this time, unlike most of the others who held with one.

Master Skywalker held the com up to his face and spoke, but it was hard to hear over the war around them.

The ground suddenly became visible and she was almost surprised how close they were with all the fog clouding everything. Hardcase let out a whoop beside her and pumped his free hand, "time to lock and load!"

One of the clones in the back climbed onto the walker, which was then dropped to the ground for the assault. The action was repeated several times, driving the Umbarans attention from the sky to the ground. One by one cannons began to fall, break, or detonate, which would make the plan go much smoother. 

By some miracle they got to the landing point and the rest of the troops, including her and Anakin, got off. She immediately ignited her green blade, followed by her cyan one shortly after. She deflected blaster bolts with ease that came to close for her liking. The ships lifted from the ground, and they joined the ground assault, running alongside the rest of the 501st. 

The Umbarans were slowly retreating because they kept gaining ground. One bolt she deflected knocked straight into an Umbaran, killing them instantly. She parted off from Skywalker and Rex, following Hardcase and giving him some shielding while he used the machine gun he had to shoot at the enemy. 

The Umbarans must've grown tired of running, or they fell back as much as they felt was necessary because they seemed to fall into a stand off. She noted that most of the fire had gone towards her, her glowing sabers must've been an indicator as to where the enemy was. She took it with ease, deflecting bolts one after another. She let out a hiss when a bolt grazed her arm, but she continued on without stopping. 

"-the enemy could have the whole place rigged with traps!"

"I can't even see the enemy!" She heard Tup shout over the sound of blasters and cannons, and found her lips quirked upwards for a moment, moving back over to Anakin and Rex. 

"That's why they're called the _Shadow People_ , Tup!" Hardcase deadpanned and she laughed, though it wasn't noticeable with the surrounding.

Umbaran bombers flew in overhead, dropping a bomb, and a large explosion was to her right. She hollered out commands to the clones to find cover, moving them back away from where the bombers flew.

She sensed it before she saw it, jumping over the giant vine with ease, but Hardcase wasn't as lucky. She paused and helped him up, making sure he was okay before continuing the advance. 

Before she could do much a slick appendage wrapped around her ankle and jerked her back, her sabers falling out of her hands as she was flung into the air, being held upside down. She heard troopers yell around her and saw other troopers had been caught by the same creature, who was frantically flinging them around and growling. She held out a hand and her sabers came flying from wherever she had dropped them and quickly sliced the tentacle around her leg off. She fell to the ground, getting a rough landing but she bounced up with ease, cutting off the other limbs that held her man captive.

Fives was the only one left, but she saw him hold an explosive in hand and threw it into the creature's mouth. It detonated, killing the animal and Fives fell to the ground, Hardcase immediately helping him up. 

* * *

They found some good cover between lined mounds of dirt, taking a little rest. It had gone quiet, almost uncomfortably, for her tastes. Fives noticed the graze she had gotten on her arm and had sat her down. He didn't have any medical supplies but he had a wet cloth that he tied around her arm, hoping the water would cool the burning buzz it left on the top of her skin.

She had originally protested but he insisted after stating that General Skywalker and Rex wouldn't be happy to see her in anything but 100% health. She had tilted her head at that, usually, Anakin's worry was enough for the battalion to have an instinctive need to protect her, but including the Captain was something done more recently.

A few months prior she had been bedridden for a few weeks because of a mission gone wrong. She had her lower body pinned by the debris of an explosion and it sprained her ankle and fractured her wrist. Her sabers were destroyed, leaving her defenseless. It was only by a miracle that Anakin and Rex had shown up to prevent her from being killed. As soon as she was recovered, the 501st gave her armor for her own use, saying it was to help them worry less for her health. She also had to construct new blades, one the same green as her previous one, and one a brilliant shade of teal. She had to admit it was a little hard to get used to the new sabers, especially with the long and thin hilts she had constructed. She had thought it smart so she could use them are batons if she did not want to give away her identity.

Nonetheless, she thanked him for helping her and moved out to find Skyguy and Rexster. They were up a few rows from her but she got to then with ease, finding herself on Rex's right. She nudged him lightly to let him know of her presence. With his helmet off, she saw how his face softened a little when he saw her in one piece. Then his eyes wandered to the cloth tied around her upper arm. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a trooper reporting in.

"All platoons have reported in, General." She looked to the trooper who had spoken. He must've been a shiny, the way he stood and acted was too formal for him to have been a part of the 501st long. He had a 'v' shaped tattoo on his face, and she had to admit it was a wicked design. The shiny noticed her and saluted her, "Commander."

"Get some rest, we'll be heading out soon." Anakin nodded thanks to the trooper.

But he shook his head, "thank you General, but I'm fine-"

Rex stepped away from her side towards the trooper. "The General's giving you an order, Dogma."

"Of course, sir!" Dogma straightened and turned, hurrying away to rest as he was 'ordered' to.

She bit her bottom lip and watched him fade away into the fog. "He's wound tight, but he's loyal," Rex spoke softly, and she snorted, catching the captain's attention.

"He reminds me of you, back in the day." She hummed thoughtfully, pulling her hands behind her back. Rex let out a chuckle beside her, and she almost felt at peace for a moment.

That peace, however, was swiftly broken when the sounds of blasters and yelling were heard behind them. She drew and ignited her blades without thinking and ran towards the noise, seeing a weird blue scorpion-like creature scuttling about, shocking troopers unconscious. Troopers were shouting and trying to shoot it while trying to attack the Umbarans who had snuck around behind them.

She leaped and swung her blade at the little pest, slicing it in half, allowing the company to focus on the enemy. She checked on the troopers who had been shocked unconscious and made sure they got back on their feet. She didn't get to all of them before a flurry of fire was focused on her, and a blaster bolt came close enough to her montral that the sound echoed in her head. She pressed herself against the mount of Earth, deflecting bullet occasionally. 

" _EVERYONE! MOVE OUT NOW_!" She heard Anakin yell from a few yards away, the platoons following the General, with Ahsoka taking up the back and assuring they weren't followed. 

Ahead of her, a trooper had slipped, and she recognized him as Dogma. She clipped her blades, which was very risky, and picked him up, dragging him alongside her. He shouted thanks to her but she had ignored it, focusing on finding the rest of the troops. 

They found cover away from the ridge, all the men finding a decent place to hide from the fire of the enemies who had not given chase. Ahsoka found herself looking for Rex and joining him when she did. Subconsciously she placed a hand on his shoulder, and she felt him tense underneath her touch.

A few tense moments passed when the sound of airstrikes came through and two bombers flew overhead at the ridge they had fled from, and a glorious wave of explosive fire roared from the area. "Glad we got off that ridge." Her master commented.

"Ditto." She spoke quietly, her hand slipping from Rex's shoulder. The clone nodded and hummed out a 'yeah' as they watched the flames roar up.

"Ha, that'll teach em." An arm fell over her shoulder and tugged her closer. She chuckled and her hand came to rest on the lower arm of Hardcase. He was always a bit more casual with her than the others, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. It was more of a friendship than a soldier and his commanding officer. Sometimes she wished that the rest of the battalion was in the same mindset. Fives was similar, but not as much, though it was likely because they weren't near each other as often as before.

She sensed tension from Rex and looked up to see him looking directly at her and Hardcase, but with his helmet on it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Hardcase stiffened and his arm fell from her shoulders and he stepped away, almost robotically. Only when he was a few steps away did Rex turn away to face Anakin. Her brows furrowed, lips parted slightly, just deciding to turn around and check on the men. 

* * *

It wasn't even 10 minutes when the bomber ships were back, but they had a third to accompany them. She stepped away from the men to come to stand to the right of Anakin and crossed her arms.

The ship landed in front of them, and the doors opened. There, in a tall and heavy body, was General Pong Krell. Unconsciously she felt her hands tighten on her plastoid gauntlets. He stepped off the ship, and with the way he landed she was surprised how his reputation as a great general could be true when his steps were so heavy. How was he not mowed down in battle when he wasn't ready to jump away?

"Master Krell," Her master started with surprise in his tone, "-my thanks for the air support."

Krell nodded and crossed two of his four arms in front of him, the other two behind him, "Indeed General Skywalker. The locals have proved to be more resourceful than we anticipated." He hummed. His voice was low with a slight lisp to it, but nothing about that could explain why she felt a shiver run down her spine. He wasn't here just for the thanks.

"But that's not the reason for your visit," Master said aloud. Krell shook his head with a monotone laugh.

"No. The Council has ordered to back to Coruscant, effective _immediately_." Everyone froze except Anakin.

"What? Why?" He demanded, almost like he was too shocked for words.

"I'm afraid the request was made by the Supreme Chancellor. The Council has obliged, but that is all they would tell me." He spoke calmly to Anakin who only looked more confused. She shot him a concerned glance from the corner of her eye but a slight nod of his head let her know he was okay.

"What- I- I can't just _leave_ my men." He protested but she could already tell he was going to leave.

"Master, if I may? I'll stay here and keep an eye on everyone." She assured him with a small smile and nodded to the ship. "The Chancellor needs you, we'll be okay here."

"I'm afraid," Krell started again and they turned back to him, "they sent me to take over for General Skywalker in his absence. However, you are still welcome to stay with your troops." He spoke to her softly. She furrowed her eyebrows. Did the Council expect her _and_ Anakin to leave their men? She was nearly 20 now, she was more than capable of leading these men and far more likely to establish a firm command than some stranger. Especially if that stranger was Pong Krell.

He had made a name for himself for being a fierce leader, but he was also known to have large clone casualty rates, more than any other Jedi. She heard rumors that he had been the leader of 4 full battalions before those men were killed in battle. She did not want this Jedi to lead her men to their deaths.

She fully intended to protest, but Rex must've seen the annoyance on her face because he stepped up and cut her off. "Don't worry about a thing, sir. The capital will be in Republic hands by the time you get back." He assured Anakin, who nodded. "Master Krell, I'd like you to meet Rex, my first-in-command. You won't find a finer or more loyal trooper anywhere." Then he gestured to her and she put a smile on, "and this is my Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Don't let her young age fool you, she's more capable than most generals." He winked at her, her dark lips pulling back into a smirk as a response.

"Good to hear. I wish you well, Skywalker." Krell placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder and the two exchanged a nod of respect. Anakin slipped down the mound of earth and climbed up onto the ship. Before he could even say anything or wave the ship had taken off.

They were now alone with Krell.

Rex, as usual, made the first move, standing next to Krell. "Your reputation precedes you, General Krell. It is an honor to be serving you." Krell seemed to straighten and puff his chest out a little, something that made her nose scrunch up and roll her cyan eyes.

Krell looked down at Rex with a blank expression before speaking in her low voice. "I find it interesting, _Captain_ ," He turned around to face her and the rest of the trooper and she quickly straightened up, avoiding his gaze, "that you are able to recognize the value of honor." He paused for a moment and she thought it was done, but he finished with a snide comment that made her blood boil. "For a clone." Rex was caught off guard because he looked to the General with a tilted head of confusion. Krell looked at him through the corner of his eye and snapped at him. "Stand at attention when I address you." The monotone voice he held when he talked with Master Skywalker was gone, replaced by a cold and bitter one. Rex immediately stood at attention and Krell nodded. "Your flattery is duly noted, but will _not_ be rewarded." She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent her from snapping at the Jedi Master. Finally, he stepped away from Rex's side, one that she took immediately. "There is a reason my command is so effective, and it is because I do things by the book." He lowered himself to look Fives in the face, the clone looked guarded and defensive but the General pulled away and continued to speak. "That includes protocol. Have all platoons ready to move out immediately. That is all." He finished and walked away.

She stood there, stunned at what she had just seen. Every Jedi she had ever met was quite warm to their troops and to others. They were treated with respect as individuals, not just clones in a war. She turned to Rex and wanted to say something but Krell's voice called to her. "Padawan Tano! To me." His voice was firm and she immediately found herself leaving her Captain's side to stand by Master Krell.

* * *

They were all quiet as they walked through the misty and dark terrain of the planet. She walked beside Master Krell gracefully, but every once in a while would look over her shoulder at the troops, making sure they were alright. At first, she assumed Krell didn't notice or simply didn't care to notice, but when he scolded her she knew he had been watching her. "Padawan Tano, the more you look over your shoulder, the more likely you will be the first struck by a sniper. Eyes ahead." He ordered. She bit back a remark and did as she was told. In most cases, she'd snap back a response, but that was because she'd be with someone who could take her temper. Master Krell did not seem like the kind of man to tolerate such things, and she, honestly, was almost fearful of what he might do. Not because she was scared for her, but for her men. Krell could easily send her back to Coruscant and then the 501st would be left alone with this unfamiliar General.

A few moments later, "Quicken the pace, battalion, this isn't some training exercise on Kamino!" He snarled over his shoulders. She had slowed her pace down so she came to walk beside Fives. He leaned over to her.

"The uh... new General has a way with words." He commented and the corner of her mouth quirked upwards. She snickered, covering her mouth with her hand, and snapped to attention when Krell looked over his shoulder at them. Her hands fell behind her back as she walked, and her gaze moved to the ground. She heard footsteps quickening and Rex was next to her.

"He's just trying to keep us on schedule. We have a job to do." He reasoned to Fives, who if his helmet wasn't on, would probably be rolling his eyes. "Either way, he's in charge. Just treat him with respect."

"Respect goes both ways, Rex. No one deserves respect, they all have to earn it." She hissed. Rex paused in his pace before he continued, the hesitance barely noticeable.

Soon, Ahsoka paused and Fives, as well as Rex, stopped too. "Commander?"

"Guys, ready your weapons. Fives, give me a leg up, will you?" She said and unclipped her sabers, pointing to two creatures flying towards them with glowing eyes. She stepped back, the men readying their weapons and clearing the way for Tano to have space. At about 10 feet she stopped, and the creatures were almost on them. She took a breath and darted forward. Fives, alarmed, knelt down and cupped his hands together. She placed her foot there and he launched her upwards. Her saber ignited and she immediately cut through one of the creatures, leaving it in two halves on the ground. She landed was ease, like a cat landing on their feet. 

The other was still going around and it snapped up one of her men, flying back into the sky. She heard a grunt and saw General Krell leap up onto a plant and launch himself off it onto the other creature. He grabbed the pincers and made the animal drop the trooper, who was immediately helped to his feet. Then he sent the creature to the ground. His two sabers ignited, one blue and the other green, much like hers, though the blue was the standard shade, and stabbed them through the creature's head, killing it instantly. He stood up and clipped his sabers and walked past them all, a tension building around him. "Anyone else wanna play with the animals?" He snarled at the troopers like it had been their fault they were attacked. "Keep moving!" He stalked to the front of the group and continued without waiting for them.

She sighed and clenched her fists. "Come on boys, let's move out. If anyone is hurt speak now!" She called, met with silence. She gestured her head to Master Krell and followed him, the 501st following behind her. Fives caught up to her and walked alongside her while Rex was a bit behind.

* * *

12 hours later and they were still walking along at the new pace Krell had set for them. While she was fine, she could tell the men were getting worn. At the least, they needed a few minutes to rest. If Master Skywalker were here they'd have rested at least twice. At least he knew his men needed to be well-rested in order to be able to fight effectively. "Sir," She looked to Fives who had been a little behind her after the 10th hour. "We've been going this pace for 12 hours, the men are getting tired. We need to rest, Commander." He pushed. She looked to Rex, who was next to her with a raised brow and nodded. He sighed under his helmet and quickened his pace to approach Krell.

"General Krell, this ridge," Rex pointed it out to the general, but he hadn't even turned his head, "will make a good place to camp-"

"The men don't _need_ rest," Krell replied cooly. "They need the resolve to complete the task at hand."

"But sir-"

"CT-7567. Are you reading me?" Krell's voice was ice cold and Ahsoka and Fives exchanged a glance. Did he- He called _Rex_ by his number. 

"Um, sir?"

"I asked you a _question_ , CT-7567. Do you understand the need to adhere to my strategy?" The Jedi Master growled at Rex. By instinct, she stepped forward to come between them. 

"Master Krell, the terrain is extremely hostile, and despite this, the men are making good time." She interrupted, taking a stance in front of Rex. Her arms were behind her back, so the General could not see them clenching and unclenching in frustration. "At the least give them 5 minutes." She spoke calmly despite her real feelings.

"Padawan Tano." He growled and towered over her. She unconsciously took a step back when he took one toward her. "Do you need reminding of this battalion's strategic mission in _conquering_ this planet?" She blinked at him, lost for words. "See these platoons?" She looked behind her at her men who had all paused and were watching them. "Their mission is to take the capital and take it _swiftly_." He slammed his fists together. She looked down at the ground, like a child being scolded by a parent. In a way, she was exactly that. "Rest is a _luxury_ that the Republic cannot afford to use right now. We are the key to this mission. The other battalions are counting on us to do our part. If we fail, everyone fails. Do you understand this?" He snarled in her face. Not looking him in the eyes she nodded. That must've been all Krell needed because he turned around and continued forward. She fell in line behind him, sending an apologetic look over her shoulder to her exhausted men. She tried.

* * *

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but they had finally stopped, with the troopers moving ahead to scout the city. She had wanted to go with, but Krell had insisted she stay by his side. It felt wrong, being at the back of her men, instead of at the front or at the least alongside them. However, after Krell's reaction to asking for a simple 5-minute rest, she didn't dare defy his orders. Not at the moment.

About 10 minutes passed when Rex emerged from the haze, helmet between his hand and hip. She smiled and would normally walk forward to greet him, but when she took a single step, Krell's hand fell onto her shoulder and pulled, quite ungently, back to his side. She bit her lip and looked away, a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Sir. Ready to send in forward platoons for a surgical strike on the city's defenses." Rex reported.

Krell smirked and shook his head. "There won't be any need, Captain." He replied cooly, but his calm tone did nothing to calm anything. Beside him, Ahsoka furrowed her eyebrows and looked to him with questioning eyes, to which he didn't see or ignored.

"Sir?"

"All platoons will execute a forward assault along the main route to the city-"

"But sir-" Rex tried to cut in but Krell ignored him. She took that time to cut in and finish for him. 

"My Master's plan was to surprise them with multiple attacks, Master Krell. We assumed that was still the plan." She came to his aid and noticed he sent her a bit of a relieved look. Krell seemed to listen to her the most, but that was not saying much. "If we go down the main route, they'll like engage us in a full-frontal assault." 

"There has been a change of plans, Padawan Tano." Never before had she hated being classified as a Padawan. He spoke to her as though she were the same 14-year old she had been when she had first become a padawan. Since then she would brag about it, as she was still very young to be out on the battlefield. However, it has been nearly 6 years since then, and she was a grown woman nearing her knighthood. "I'm in charge now, and we will go about this my way."

"With all due respect," she forced the words out as calmly as she could, "we don't know what we are up against, and I do not want to put my men's lives at risk-"

"Are you questioning my authority?" He turned to her, eyes lit ablaze with fury. She swallowed and shook her head. Krell activated the holocam on his wrist and showed her a map of the city. "This battalion will take the main route of the city, straight for the capital. They will not stop, and they will not turn back despite whatever resistance they meet. We will attack with _all_ our troops. Not some sneak attack with a few men." He waved his hand dismissively. She tensed up but did not speak out. "You will follow this order, explicitly. Is that clear, CT-7567." He turned from her to snarl in Rex's face.

Before she could protest at all Rex nodded, "Yes, General." He placed his helmet back on his head. He walked away, disappearing into the mist.

Her mouth opened, "Master, you are going to get them killed. We'll be lucky if even half of them come back." She protested to him but he turned away from her.

"This is the most effective way to do so, Padawan Tano. I don't expect someone so young to understand."

"Oh, I understand plenty." She growled, but Krell did not turn to face her. "If my men are going out there, then so am I." She declared and spun on her heels, stalking after Rex.

A large hand grabbed her arm and yanked her backward, facing Krell who looked at her disapprovingly. "You will do no such thing. The battalion is to go the Main Road. You and I shall wait here-"

"Screw that!" She snarled at him and yanked her arm away. She quickly backed up from him and broke into a run after Rex.

* * *

The road, like the rest of the planet, was dark, only visible by the glowing blue stones that outlined the edges. She walked next to Rex, who had originally protested her coming along, but she could tell he was relieved to have her fight beside them, unlike Krell who had stayed behind. She kept her sabers in hand, though she did not ignite them. Her men were behind her and she made sure to check frequently that they were okay, despite going on this suicide run.

"Sir?" She paused for a moment where Tup sped up to her. "Why aren't we sticking to the original plan? Probing the city defenses first-"

Before she could reply Hardcase shrugged, "we can take 'em. Let's do this." He cheered, and her eyes rolled with amusement.

"Leave it to Hardcase to dive in head-first." She joked and nudged him lightly with her elbow.

Hardcase shrugged, and she could tell he was smiling under the helmet when he responded. "That's what I do best, Commander."

"The General's new plan is reckless," Fives argued, bringing back the downer mood, but he was right.

"Ever wonder if the General actually knows what he is doing?" Jesse asked aloud, but the surrounding men just shrugged. 

"Commander, you know this is a bad idea," Fives spoke sternly to her but she bowed her head in shame, suddenly unable to look at them. 

"I... voiced my concerns to Master Krell, but... he did not agree." She replied. Anakin was not here, so she would take his place, despite what Krell did, this was her Batallion, her men, and they would follow her. "We'll be okay. If we do need to fall back, I will face Krell." She spoke softly. These men were ready to die on her command, it was only fair she'd be willing to do the same for them.

It was quiet out there, enough to make it feel wrong. The only sounds she could hear were the steps of her men and the sounds of the walkers beside them. They had to be nearing the city soon, but the big issue was the clearing between them and the city. The biggest reason her master had wanted to do a sneak attack was that there was no cover surrounding the city, meaning any forward assault would be easily gunned down.

Something stopped her in her tracks, the men halting beside her and behind her. She held up a hand, telling them to stay still. She grabbed a nearby pebble and threw it forward. Not two seconds after she threw it, a green explosion burst up from the ground. "Mines! Everyone stop!" She ordered firmly. The clones instinctively straightened when they heard the authority in her voice. Another explosion rang behind her and she swirled around to see two troopers down, lying lifeless on the road. Tup and Jesse knelt beside them and shook their heads. They were gone.

"Fives, scan for them."

"On it, Commander." Within minutes they discovered the whole road was booby-trapped, and it was only some miracle they had only _just_ hit them. With Fives in the lead, Ahsoka on his heels, made sure to walk with deliberately cautious steps. However, this short-lasting peace fell when a strike from above hit one of the mines and the entire road in that sector had been reduced to rubble. Blaster bolts were fired at them and she called everyone to get off the road, to find any cover possible, all while igniting her sabers. Her troops scattered and she made her move, charging into a group of Umbarans, cutting them down one by one, before moving to the next cluster.

She had been making her way to a few natives that were nearing her men when a blast of pain shot through her leg. She felt to the ground with a cry, hitting the road, stunned for a moment. She could hear someone calling her name, but she wasn't sure who. She pushed herself up and looked to her leg. The space between her kneepad and boot on her right leg has been shot, a nice little hole where she had been hit. 

She had to ignore the pain, when the saw the Umbarans closing in on her, deciding to take out the bigger threat. However, they were all shot down before they could reload their blaster. With a throw over her shoulder, she saw Fives, Jesse, and Tup running out to her, risking their own necks. She waved them away to go back, but Fives scooped her up in his arms as Jesse and Tup gave him cover. She hissed when his hand strayed too close to the wound, but she held on tight as the troopers fell back, drawing the Umbarans out from their hiding places.

Unfortunately, that hiding place was everywhere. One by one she saw men fall, even with a surge of fire coming towards her. Each bolt was deflected, though it made the pain in her leg spark whenever she turned, which was annoyingly often. 

"We have to fall back! Draw them out!" Rex shouted over the commotion. Even though he couldn't see it she nodded in agreement, standing guard over Kix as he checked on a fallen man.

"If we can see them we can hit them!" Hardcase yelled in agreement. Rex gave the order and they began to fall back. She stayed near the back to deflect bolts aimed at her troopers. She made her own turn to run and catch up, but her knee buckled mid-step. She took a knee and her leg felt numb for a moment.

"Commander!" A hand found her arm and slung it over their shoulder, hauling her along. She let out a groan when her foot caught the occasional rock, rocking her leg. It had gotten to the point that Fives was more carrying her than helping her to walk. She had tried to get him to let go but his grip remained firm. The remaining troopers were up ahead, with reinforcements coming to their aid, likely sent by Krell. They had made a stand there, turning back to the Umbarans and opening their fire on them. The Umbarans shouted to one another in a language foreign to her, likely their plans to move forward or discussing a retreat.

Once among the other troopers, Fives set her down, much to her relief she was getting annoyed being dead weight. She drew her blades and began firing the bolts back at the Umbarans, smirking to herself when they fell due to their own bolt in the face. 

With their numbers rapidly falling the Umbarans shouted to one another, then they began to run away, fleeing the Republic's fire. Once the green blaster bolts halted did she sheath her sabers, placing them on her belt with a relieved sigh. That could've been much worse, especially if she had followed Krell's order and stayed behind. 

"CT-7567," Krell's voice boomed louder than any blasters could. "Do you have a malfunction in your design? You pulled your forces back! And _you_ , Padawan Tano! I ordered you to stay beside me, yet you ran like a coward." He snarled at them. 

"You little-" Her own insult was cut off by her own groan of pain as her leg gave out again. Fives was her knight in shining armor today because he caught her before she hit the ground. She saw Rex take a step forward, concern radiating off him.

"Commander, are you alright?" Kix approached her, already searching through his bag.

"It's just a flesh wound. It shouldn't take too long to heal." She gave a reassuring smile as he placed a bacta patch on her wound. "I'm guessing you want me to take it easy for at least a few hours?" Kix nodded and she sighed. "Fiiinnnneeee. Just for you." She winked, hearing some of the troopers laugh at her stubborn nature. The moment was ruined however, when she heard Krell continuing on his rant to Rex.

"-taking the capital city! The enemy now has control of this route! This entire mission has been compromised. Because of," He poked Rex in the chest, the force enough to make him take a step back, "you!" Another poke and she had enough, the words hadn't even processed it before they left her mouth.

"I called the retreat!" Silence. Krell straightened and turned to her with narrowed eyes. With Fives help she stood up, though she leaned on him for support. "I called the men to fall back. Not Rex. He was following my orders." She spoke calmly as she fought the bile in her throat of having to defend their actions. 

"General," Fives cut in next to her, "with all due respect, Commander Tano and Captain Rex just _saved_ us from mass slaughter. Surely you won't _fail_ to recognize that." He spat out, unable to hold his distaste for the new general even more.

"ARC-5555," Krell growled, and suddenly there was a green blade by his face. Fives stiffened, his hold on Ahsoka tightening subconsciously. "Stand down."

Without thinking she had grabbed her own blade and ignited it, pointing it at Krell. "Try it and you will regret it." She thundered, pushing Fives back behind her, standing on her own despite the uncomfortable feeling where her wound was. "In case you couldn't tell we _did_ follow your orders, despite how _flawed_ and _dangerous_ it was. It cost us men." _Not clones._ She thought silently, knowing everyone else did too. "I have a duty as a Commander to follow my superior's command, but I have another duty, as a Jedi. My duty is to save lives, and that includes the men under my command." She waved her hand to the men watching them.

"You have a spark, Padawan. I'll give you that. I understand I am not like General Skywalker, but my way has been proved effective. Your opinion, however, has been noted." He turned from her and walked away. She snarled at his retreating figure, clipping her blade to her belt. Her arms crossed with a look to kill.

"I think he almost complimented you, Commander." Fives joked.

She rolled her eyes but she had let out a breathy laugh. "Ha, if you can call that a compliment." She snarked.

"Commander," Rex's soft voice called out to her. "What are you doing? I made that order, not you-"

"He would've killed you." She snapped. Her chest tightened at the way he spoke to her like he was mad at her for defending him. "I meant what I said. I have a duty, not to the Republic, or to the Jedi Code, but a duty to my heart to protect as many of you as I can." She spoke firmly, making sure she was loud enough for them all to hear her. "Rex, I want to protect you. So please, let me." She whispered the last part, looking him dead in the eyes.

His hardened golden orbs softened the longer he looked at her. They raked over her face, their gaze making her lekku dark as her cheeks burned. His lips quirked into a smile. "Commander, I-"

"Incoming!" Her head snapped towards the call, followed by the cries of pain from her men. A second blast was shot, sending her and more troops flying before she could react. It was another ambush.


	2. S04E08

_"Commander," Rex's soft voice called out to her. "What are you doing? I made that order, not you-" "He could've killed you." She snapped. Her chest tightened at the way he spoke to her, like he was mad at her for defending him. "I meant what I said. I have a duty, not to the Republic, or to the Jedi Code, but a duty to my heart to protect as many of you as I can." She spoke firmly, making sure she was loud enough for them all to hear her. "Rex, I want to protect you. So please, let me." She whispered the last part, looking him dead in the eyes. His hardened golden orbs softened the longer he looked at her. They raked over her face, their gaze making her lekku dark as her cheeks burned. His lips quirked into a smile. "Commander, I-" "Incoming!" Her head snapped towards the call, followed by the cries of pain from her men. A second blast was shot, sending her and more troops flying before she could react. It was another ambush._

* * *

The Umbaran ships dove down on them, firing blasts at them before escalating back up into the dark sky. As soon as one disappeared another one dove in. The natives fired at them from the ground, men dropping left and right beside her. She caught herself hard on her knees, thankful for the kneepads there. She ignited her blades and did her best to deflect the bolts back at the Umbarans advancing towards them. She was disappointed, but not at all surprised to see she was the only one with her blades ignited. Krell was nowhere to be found.

One of the fighters stayed on the ground, shooting at a group of her men who tried to shield themselves with the terrain of the planet. She extinguished both blades and held her hands out to the fighter. It began to rise and take off before it was frozen in mid place by her hold on it. With a grunt she slammed the ship to the ground, destroying it and the pilot alongside it. She waved her hands over to the troops who had made their way over to her. To her relief, Rex was among them, and he seemed alright. Bolts were shot at them as they ran across from their cover to hers, shooting back on their left and right.

One of them fell right in front of her, arm stretched out for help. She ignored Kix's shout for her when she dove out and grabbed his hand, dragging him back behind cover. She turned him on his back and propped him up against the tree they hid behind. His helmet was taken off and Kix knelt beside him to examine him. 

A presence made itself known beside her and she didn't have to look to know it was Krell, crawling from his hiding place. He took out a com and an image of Master Kenobi flickered into existence. His tone was urgent as he spoke to Krell, "the capital is too fortified! We need your battalion to help us take it." Obi-wan emphasized. 

"The Umbarans have shown greater resistance than anticipated. We're holding our ground at the moment." She swallowed the bile in her throat at 'we'. Master Krell did nothing but stand there while her men were fighting for their lives and their brothers.

"We've gathered intel on an airbase to the west. It is resupplying the capital's defenses-"

"Incoming!"

Obi-wan was cut off from a cry from one of her men as his small group of 4 were hit with a missile, snuffing them in an instant. Her heart dropped to her stomach. So many of them were dying, and for this unnecessary confrontation that Master Krell had demanded. "If you can capture that airbase we will cut off the capital's supply lines, allowing the rest of our forces to move in." Rex wandered over to them, keeping his blasters out and shooting while listening to the General.

"I will see to it that the airbase is placed under our control," Krell affirmed with a nod to Kenobi, then cutting the call. "Captain Rex, find those coordinates immediately, Padawan Tano, make sure the troops are ready to move out in an instant." Both of them nodded and she set out to recover all the troops, leading them away from the fight zone. Hardcase whined but followed her nonetheless as they all gathered together, safely out of the way of the Umbaran's fire.

* * *

The had made it safely away from the battle, but the casualties she had seen made it feel like they were walking into another battle. And they were. They had to take the airbase so Master Kenobi could take the capital city. She could only hope Master Krell wouldn't send the men on another suicide mission. The airbase would be heavily defended, and they would need a well thought out plan to take it without losing as many lives as they had with their attempt to take the capital. 

She stood beside Rex and Krell as they overlooked the gorge between them and the airbase. She held herself up high, to ignore the anxiety pooling in her core. The men were already nervous from the capital attempt, and she needed to be there to reassure them. Fives came up and handed Rex his binoculars, then touched her shoulder, nodding his head indicating he wanted to talk. She nodded, mumbled an 'excuse me' to Krell and followed Fives away from the edge of the gorge to a bit more of a secluded area. "What is it?"

"Commander, I'm worried about the Captain." He blurted out to her. She blinked in surprise and paused to glance at Rex who was talking with Master Krell. "Could you, uh, talk to him? Sir." He added in the sir after a moment.

Ahsoka raised her brow in confusion. "Me? Why me?"

"He _listens_ to you. More than any of us." Fives pushed and she crossed her arms, looking away from him.

"I really don't think he'll listen to me." She protested but Fives only shook his head.

"Please, sir, at least try?" His brows were furrowed and in that one moment Fives almost looked _scared_. 

She gave in. "Fine. I'll talk to him. After we secure the airbase and we have room to breathe." She added on. Fives shrugged but nodded, taking what he could get. She heard footsteps and saw Rex, bucket between his side and hand, walking towards them.

"Alright, listen up! We'll assemble the squad into two divisions, we'll move straight up this gorge towards the airbase on the farside." He called but he was met with protests from the others.

"The casualties are going to be high!" Kix said after a moment of thought. His statement caused others to voice their own concerns.

"Is Krell trying to get us killed?"

"You know, I wasn't sure Krell was crazy before, but now, I'm positive!"

"We had to retreat from the capital because the General pushed a flawed strategy, now this?!" Fives shouted beside her. She found her self nodding along and meeting Rex's eyes, giving a small shake of her head.

"I dunno could be fun!" Hardcase.

"Well, I for one agree with the General's plan." Dogma spoke up. "We're running out of time and this is the best option!"

"We have no recon or air support!" Jesse shouted above all of them. He waved his bucket around from the grip he held on with his hand. "We don't know what we're up against. They have weapons we've never seen before!" 

"A few of General Skywalker's plans were reckless, but they _worked_." Rex tried to push but Fives countered him.

"General Skywalker is leading his men up from the front, not taking up the back like Krell." He looked over to Ahsoka and down at her leg. Her blue eyes narrowed but that didn't stop him. "Because of his strategy, our Commander got shot! What are we going to do if we actually get to the capital?" She felt the eyes turn to her. Her lekku darkened and she stared to the ground, nose scrunched up.

The other men were speaking up too, looking to each other as they voiced their worries.

"Fives, Commander." Rex called them over to a few feet away from the group. "It would help, Commander, if you could ease their minds." He spoke softly to her, looking to her for help.

She moved to answer him but Fives voiced her thoughts for them both. "What, you mean coax them into another one of Krell's suicide missions? We lost a lot of men last time."

"He's right, Rex." She finally spoke, the Captain turned to her with wide eyes. He looked almost... _hurt_ that she wasn't supporting him. "We've already lost a lot of men, and we can't afford to lose more... I won't allow my men to march to their deaths." She stated firmly, shutting down any protest the Captain might've had. "Master Krell may be a recognized warrior, but his casualties rates are almost 100%. He's been in charge of 4 battalions, all of which were slaughtered in turn for the victories he made. I cannot stand by and watch him do the same to all of you. Not if I can do anything."

"That's the price of war, Commander. You can't save everyone." Rex shot back at her. She flinched at his tone, narrowing her eyes at him. She felt her chest tighten at his words, it was like he was telling her it was okay for her to watch her men die.

"Is that what you believe? Or what you were engineered to?" Fives growled and grabbed Rex's arm when the Captain turned to leave.

Rex paused and looked at her for a moment. "I honor my code. That's what I believe." He yanked his arm away from Fives and approached his troopers, leaving Fives and Ahsoka alone.

"I can't believe this..." Ahsoka ran a hand down her face. "I can't. I'm not letting that idiot throw his life away."

Fives cracked a smile and actually chuckled. "You sound like the Captain. Whenever he had to run after you or General Skywalker. Always saying this would be the last time he'd save your butt, but never hesitating to help you." He paused and frowned for a moment. Then he looked at her. "He cares about you, Commander. We all can see it." He placed his helmet back on and followed to where Rex had headed.

She stood there, taking in what Fives had said to her. Rex cared for everyone. But why single out her? Unless he- She felt her skin flush up and her lekku darken enough to be considered black. Oh. That's what he had meant. She couldn't control the grin that grew on her face as well as the way her heart danced with joy in her chest.

* * *

They split into two groups to move through the gorge. Despite the protests, Rex had gone through with Krell's order. They tried their best to move quietly through the dense foggy terrain, but it was also hard with the walkers there. She led the group at the front, saber hilts in her hands, but the blades were not yet ignited. 

The creatures that had attacked them the other day flew over them, skittering to one another and chattering. "They looked spooked." Not even a moment later the ground shook beneath them, causing some of the men to lose their balance. "What the-"

The ground broke a few feet ahead of them, and a giant 'worm' like machine emerged, snarling, the echos of its calls making them all freeze. It turned to face them, the glass dome in the front of the machine shining a bright light on them.

She snapped out of it first, shouting at the men to run and find cover. Most of them heeded her calls but others were too frozen to move. They paid the price because the machine began to shoot at them, snipping the ones who froze in fear. She followed her men at the back of the group, keeping an eye on the monster as it scurried to follow them. The damn things were ray-shielded, so they had to call in for back up from Rex to bring rocket launchers.

Many of her men were behind cover now, as well as she, looking over at Kix tended to a man who had been shot in the leg. More fire came from above where Rex's half of the squadron had appeared from up the hill. She saw the captain slid down to them, ordering the men to get the rocket launchers set up. 

She saw one of the men set up the rocket launcher, only for the creature to dart at him. He made eye contact with her and threw the rocket launcher into her unsuspecting arms before the machine rammed into him. She breathed heavily and her heart rate increased. She slung the launcher over her shoulder and ran a few feet away, then set it up. She heard one of them screech when it saw her, darting straight for her. With the rocket launcher on her shoulder, she took a breath before she pressed the trigger. 

The force of the rocket firing made her fall back onto her butt. Her eyes snapped open and she watched in awe as the machine screeched and wailed as the interior imploded. A moment later it fell, the broken glass dome shattered landing in front of her. She felt a hand on her shoulder, finding Fives there who offered her his hand. She took it gratefully and she was settled onto her feet.

They heard Rex shouting for everyone to re-group and something about grenades. They didn't have time to ask who, what, or why, so they just followed the group. A good hundred explosives were thrown, everyone running to hide under a ridge. They all shouted as they did, drawing the attention of the machines to them. Her eyes widened when she saw there were 4 of them. How the fuck-

She felt someone take her hand and drag her along, hearing the explosions in the background. The blast caught up with them, sending them over the ridge, landing hard the ground. She landed rough, hitting her back, knocking the wind out of her. She was too focused on breathing to notice that someone was on top of her, covering her body. She didn't even realize her eyes were closed or that her arms had snaked around the person on top of her.

"Uh, Commander?"

"Is he-"

"Jesse you owe me 50 credits!"

She peeked her eyes open a crack, only for them to widen within the same moment. Rex was on top of her, covering her body with his, his helmet almost touching her face. They stared at one another for a moment before she jerked his body back and landed rather ungracefully on his butt. She sat up rather slowly, avoiding looking at him. She heard the chuckles of the other men, despite the dire situation, echo in her montrals. She stood up and dusted herself up. She cleared her throat and the men stopped their hushed whispers and giggles. "Come on, we got to keep moving." She called to them, heading out with the troopers on her heels.

* * *

(Rex POV)

"Captain, you're staring again," Fives spoke beside him. Rex ducked his head, looking to the ground instead, but Fives' amusement only grew and he laughed quietly. "Everyone knows how you feel, no need to hide it." He commented.

She was ahead by a couple of feet as they spoke with hushed tones like schoolgirls. "There is every reason. We are soldiers. We are not meant to... especially with someone like her. Neither of our codes allows it. It's best to ignore it."

"Is it? You're just going to hurt yourself." Fives argued but Rex shook his head. "Rex. You should tell her. Get it off your chest."

"Fives, I am not having this conversation in a battleground." He growled, finally causing the ARC trooper to quiet down. 

The lights of the heads of one of the machines they passed still flickered. Rex nodded to Hardcase who fired his blaster, shattering the glass. And Umbaran stumbled out and collapsed on the ground. Rex didn't hesitate as he shot the man twice.

He saw Ahsoka shoo away the flying animals from the body of a trooper. She knelt beside it, checking for a pulse, but when she stood it was a silent message saying the man was dead. The frustration on her face made his chest tighten. He felt the urge to comfort her, to shield her from all of this. 

But he could not. It was not his place, despite how much he wanted it to be.

* * *

(Ahsoka POV)

She could feel his eyes on her. It made her skin crawl in a delighted way, and she subconsciously swung her hips a bit more as she walked.

Seeing the mauled bodies of her men made her sick, but they had to push forward if they didn't want to all be slaughtered.

She halted mid-step. Her eyes darted around in the distance, narrowed as she searched. Her senses had been triggered, a danger lying ahead. She held up her hand for them to stop, which they did. "Fives! I need you!" She called, not moving her gaze. The ARC trooper was there in a moment, and she held her hand out for his binoculars. He handed them over with a nod. She held them up to her eyes and found herself looking in the eye of a cannon. "Boys, we have a problem." She stated, quickly handing Fives the binoculars. "Scatter!" She cried, her troopers darting off to the sides. She heard the cannon fire and she dove out of the way, rolling down the hill with a thump at the bottom. She recovered and looked around for her men.

To her dismay, she saw bodies of her men from the initial blast. She ran up to them and checked for a pulse, devastated to find none. She bowed her head for a moment, saying a quiet goodbye before she left their bodies with heavy regret. The cannon continued to fire at her retreating men, who she had a small struggle to catch up with. She felt the strain on her leg, as it was not fully healed yet. She only prayed the force would allow her to catch up with her men before it gave out on her.

She saw them up ahead, hiding amongst the trees from the cannons. She jumped behind one of the trees, finding Rex, Kix, Fives, Jesse, and Tup there. She smiled with relief to see they were all okay. She saw Rex speaking to the comlink, likely to Krell, who from what she could tell was yelling at them to jump in front of the cannons. There were many wounded leaning against the trees, the cries of troopers on the other side echoing in her head. "Keep the wounded as quiet as possible. Alright, you heard the General, let's go." He ordered, but no one moved.

"You _cannot_ be serious." Jesse deadpanned.

"I thought General Krell was reckless, but now I think he just hates clones," Fives growled. The others all nodded, including Ahsoka.

"No, the Captain is right, let's move out." Dogma put in but no one listened to him. They all knew Dogma was going to follow whatever orders he was given, to a fault.

"Rex, we cannot go out there. We'll be killed before you could even raise your blaster." She protested. Unlike the other protests, he stopped and looked to her. Sadness radiated off of him, and she swallowed knowing he knew the same, but he didn't know what else to do.

"We can't take them head-on." Fives grabbed Rex's arm.

"Do you have a better plan?" He snapped back. When Fives said nothing he continued. "Then this is it."

"Wait. Fives, Hardcase, come with me. We're going to go steal the airbase." She called the two troopers over to her. Pausing for a moment, she looked at Rex. Impulsively she walked over to him and threw her arms around him. She felt him freeze, the warmth, and the affection she felt in him doubled. "In case I don't make it back." She gave a half-smile before she turned around and led Hardcase and Fives away with her into the dense fog.

She led them along the outskirts of the battle, around the machines. They were shot at a few times, but eventually, they were forgotten about when the troopers fired at the machinery. The clones kept a good pace with her as they took the long way through the gorge. The airbase was closer now, she could see the ground of the base with the hangers of ships. "Come on, we're almost there." She called over her shoulder, slowing down her pace when the ache in her leg became too much. 

She looked around them The forest was almost disappearing the closer they got, and there was a good space of clearing between the gorge and the airbase. Luckily just before the airbase, the forest began again, so they just needed to survive this 20-foot clearing. She took a deep breath, waving her hand to get Fives and Hardcase to follow her as she crept through the clearing. The heavy mist helped as they crouch walked across. It only took a minute, but it had felt like a month, and the relief she felt them give off was overwhelming. Not that she could say she wasn't worried.

"Keep an eye out guys, we're on the outskirts of the base. Might be guards patrolling."

"The second they see us, I'll start blasting them." Hardcase declared, holding his blaster up, ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

"Ugh, Hardcase can't you take it easy for once? Stick to the plan instead of guns blazing." Fives snapped. She felt herself smirk at the banter Fives still had in him after everything.

"I'm sorry, it's just who I am. My commander on Kamino said my growth-acceleration tank had a leak in it, made me hyper-active I guess." Hardcase defended himself.

"Personally, I like it, Hardcase. It makes you unique." She commented, looking lightly over her shoulder. The two clones looked at her in surprise that she had heard them. She returned their gaze with a smile. "What?"

"Unique, sir?"

"Yes. Despite being engineered to be the same, you're all so different from one another. It's amazing. You've grown to become your own individuals. You're more than just a number. You're a person. And I love that about you all." She said fondly, slowing her pace to walk next to them. 

"Wish Krell would see it your way." Fives huffed.

"Krell can go fuck himself after we secure this planet. Despite what he thinks, he is _not_ in charge. I am. You guys are my men, and I protect my men. Regardless of the consequence." She said firmly. The clones exchanged a glance. The wall was visible to them now. It looked like a shield of lightning surrounding the base. "Okay boys, let's go steal and airbase."

They hid behind a large stone pillar, gazing at the wall. "Some kind of sensor wall," Fives determined after a moment. They moved behind a tree that was next to the wall, one of the branches close enough to the edge so they could just climb. "Use the tree to climb over."

Hardcase was silent for a moment. "Uh... how do I do this, exactly?" He asked after looking up at the tree.

"Figure it out!" Fives said, moving to the other side of the tree. He handed her an explosion, telling her to set it up on the tree trunk. She hesitated for a moment, looking up at Hardcase who was halfway up the tree. He was grumbling to himself about what Fives said, and she hid a smile as she and Fives lined the tree with explosives. Once that was done they shimmied up the cable Hardcase used to get up the tree, following him to the branch that allowed him to get over the wall. He stood there, gun held close to him, ready for an enemy approach. She took first, sliding down the branch with ease to land next to Hardcase, which they exchanged a nod, now waiting for Fives.

She grew concerned when she heard his yelp, but Hardcase was already on it. He raised his gun and with one shot, nailed the creature who attacked Fives to the tree. It let out a cry before falling limb. Fives made it to the end of the branch, holding on tightly till his feet touched the ground. With them both on solid earth, he let the branch go, allowing it to return to its natural place. "Huh, I didn't expect that to work." He commented, looking up at the tree. She simply rolled her eyes and nodded her head to the base.

"Come on, no more gawking at the flora." She joked. 

She led the way as they snuck along the backside of one of the hangers, where ships would be. If they could get control of the ships they could fly back to the battle and take out those cannons. She paused at the corner of the building, Hardcase and Fives keeping an eye out with their guns on. After checking the coast was clear they darted across to the hanger ahead. There were multiple of the same machines used to attack Rex and the rest of the 501st back at the battle. They crept around the legs, halting when they saw an Umbaran walk by. Her steps were light and deliberate as she snuck around, with Fives and Hardcase trying to mimic her, but struggling. Hidden safely behind the leg of the spider cannon, she nodded to Fives. He lifted his arm and pressed a button to detonate the bombs they had placed on the tree.

The explosion caused the tree to fall onto the wall, disabling it. The shouts of Umbarans were heard and dozens of them ran to the sight of the explosion. With the coast clear, they made a straight run for the hanger. Just as they rounded a mobile cannon and Umbaran appeared as he followed his fellow fighters to the explosion site. She immediately grabbed him and slammed him into the leg of the cannon, effectively knocking him out. Hardcase quickly shot him, the three exchanging a nod and returning to the task at hand.

Luckily for them (for once since they got here), there were 3 ships ready to be stolen. Fives set down his bag next to the piloting seat of one. "How do I start this thing?" He asked aloud but Hardcase shrugged.

"Just start pushing buttons." She said, running over to the far left one while Hardcase took the middle. She plopped herself down in the seat, and immediately a ray shield came up, surrounding her as the controls appeared. She had seen the Umbarans guide the ships by placing their hands into the same orbs, so she followed the example and the ship whirled to life. Hardcase tried the same but ended up spinning a full circle, drawing the intention of some Umbarans. They dashed over and fired on them, but they seemed to have forgotten the power of their ray shielding. Fives wasn't faring much better, almost grinding himself against the cold stone flooring. She was the only one up in the air, but she couldn't talk to them without losing control of the ship. Somehow Hardcase ended upside down and firing on the group of Umbarans, killing them.

After a moment of complete chaos, the three of them finally seemed to get the ships under control, firing like crazy and destroying the other ships and tanks to prevent the Umbarans from flying after them. Flying like it was their first time behind the wheel, the team of three flew toward the battle.

* * *

Similar to the Umbarans on their attack, she dove down, shooting at the spider cannons, swooping back up and repeating the action. She let out a cry of victory when the cannon she attacked blew up into flaming shards. The cannons aimed to fire at them, but their impulsive and reckless flying made them hard to hit.

She could hear Fives and Hardcase having the time of their lives, shouting and let out laughs of excitement for each cannon they hit. She couldn't help but let their joyous behavior infect her, hearing herself laugh and spin around in the ship ridiculously, divebombing the cannons. As they spun around in the area, not much unlike how a planet orbits its sun, they could see the 501st cheering from below, waving and shouting their thanks.

She found herself searching for one clone in particular, and she didn't even notice she was doing it until Fives pointed it out to her. "Looking for the Captain, Commander?" His voice held amusement and a teasing tone was the underlayer of his words. She flushed up and ignored his statement.

"Come on, let's land these." She said, ignoring the laughter from Hardcase and Fives.

* * *

By the time they had landed, and by they she meant her and Fives helping Hardcase land without killing them or himself, the rest of the 501st had arrived. She saw Rex make a beeline for them, straying from Krell's side, but the General either didn't know or didn't care.

She was caught off guard when he hugged her, pulling her tight to his chest. Her hands stayed on his chest piece as her body froze in place. They stood there in that moment, just the two of them. The affection she sensed from him made her feel safe for the first time in a long time. Her own arms snaked around his torso, resting on his shoulder blades. She smiled.

A cough made them pull apart. She didn't even feel any shame to hide the wide smile on her face and the way she seemed to shine with happiness. Rex seemed the same but after a moment of looking at her with a fondness she hadn't seen before, he recomposed himself, the blank face of a Captain had returned. Her stomach dropped, but not enough to dampen her mood.

"Despite Hardcase's, uh, landing," Hardcase scowled, "you saved us all."

"It wasn't that hard-"

"You nearly hit me and Fives while trying to land." She interrupted, causing the group to break out in laughter. Their moment of familial bonding was cut short when Krell decided to approach, effectively killing the joy as easily as he got men killed.

"Padawan Tano, report. What is the status?" He spoke directly to her, ignoring the clones who were far more capable to explain what had happened.

"We- uh... we have taken control of the base. And if the intel we received is correct, we should have cut off supplies to the Capital." She stumbled over her words for a moment, not totally in the moment. 

"Luck has smiled today on you, Padawan."

"Luck had nothing to do with this victory. We lost a lot of men to take this base, I hope you understand that." She all but snarled at Krell.

The Jedi Master raised a brow but continued on like her words did not phase him. "A price to pay for such a victory. Maybe someday _you'll_ realize that." Her face blanched at the wicked look in his eyes. He turned away and left, two troopers following him as guards.

Her fist clenched at her side. She saw that Rex had left to follow Krell, leaving her with the others. Fives say the look on her face and offered her a pat on the shoulder. She gave an effort at a smile but the moment had passed. 

"Okay men, I know that Krell is the general here, but I am here to say you do not have to follow his orders so long as I am here. I am your commanding officer, not him. I will not have him kill any more of my men." They all nodded in support of her. 

Fives slung an arm around her shoulder, "good on you, Commander."

She could only hope she could keep her promise to them.


	3. S04E09

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Rexsoka this chapter, but characters may bit a little OOC, so sorry bout that mis amigos.

_The Jedi Master raised a brow but continued on like her words did not phase him. "A price to pay for such a victory. Maybe someday you'll realize that." Her face blanched at the wicked look in his eyes. He turned away and left, two troopers following him as guards._

_Her fist clenched at her side. She saw that Rex had left to follow Krell, leaving her with the others. Fives say the look on her face and offered her a pat on the shoulder. She gave an effort at a smile but the moment had passed._

_"Okay men, I know that Krell is the general here, but I am here to say you do not have to follow his orders so long as I am here. I am your commanding officer, not him. I will not have him kill any more of my men." They all nodded in support of her._

_Fives slung an arm around her shoulder, "good on you, Commander."_

_She could only hope she could keep her promise to them._

* * *

She was alone in the barracks, sitting on a bunk. After everything that had happened, she needed some space to herself, without Krell, without the 501st, and without Rex. She didn't know what hurt more, having to run away from them all when they were grieving over their brothers, or that no one came to see how she felt. It was a selfish notion, she thought, that she wanted someone to comfort her over the loss of her men when her men were the brothers of those who had survived. She had no right to assume her feelings were more important.

And yet she couldn't help the bitter feeling when she left the barracks to see brothers comforting each other, holding one another when she had no one to hold her. It was the was of the Jedi, she supposed, to ignore the tie to attachments. But how could she not when she was charged with protecting and leading these men into battle? 

She blamed her biology. Togruta were social animals, it was simply their way of life, Jedi or not. It simply wasn't a coincidence there were significantly less Togrutan Jedi than most species. Their beings simply didn't allow them to live through life without bonding with someone. Even Master Shaak Ti, she had seen, had bonded herself to the cadets of Kamino. 

In her short life, she had formed many bonds with other sentient beings, but her strongest by far was surprisingly not with her Master, but with her Captain. She couldn't help the urge to be near him or to speak with him when given the chance even if nothing came to mind. Just being in his presence was enough to make her feel content, even with a battle raging around them.

She couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment when she realized she held a strong connection to the clone, but it was sometime after Mortis and before the Citadel. It had just hit her, one night, following a dull dream of battle. Her dream had turned quickly to a nightmare though when she had been unable to find Rex. She had woken from the torment in a sweat, a single tear tracking down her cheek.

It wasn't love, not at that stage. She was only 17 when it had happened, but now she was close to making her 20th life day with the coming spring. She wasn't a child anymore. Yes, she was young but she was wise beyond her years, as many people had told her. She supposed that was another connection she had to the Clones. She had to mature rapidly to adjust to the war situation. But she knew what emotions were. She saw it in the way Master talked about Senator Amidala. The way she had seen Obi-wan look at the Duchess of Mandalore.

That's how she felt about Rex. She felt like she was falling, but she was flying all the same. It was a wonderful feeling that brought the worst and best out of her.

"Commander?" Her head snapped up, her entire body tensed, but she relaxed when she saw it was Fives. Besides Rex, she was probably the closest with Fives or Hardcase, and the feeling was entirely mutual. When Ahsoka was not with Rex she would often be found with those two, joking around, patrolling, or even fighting side by side in battle.

"Fives."

"Are you alright, sir?"

She slumped her shoulders, letting out a soft chuckle. "We're alone Fives, we're not even on duty. You don't need to use any formalities."

The clone raised a brow, sitting beside her. "Alright then. Are you okay?"

"No? Yes? I'm in between." She signed, leaning her chin into her hand. "On one hand I'm happy we've made it this far, and that we avoided a mass killing by doing the stealth mission, but then, we've lost so many men, so many... brothers, and I don't know that I can't take anymore."

"I feel you, Commander." She glared at him from the side of her eye. He held up his hands in defense as a way of saying 'force of habit'. "What can we do?"

"If you were on your own, it would be harder... but I technically have command of this battalion. Fives, this is an order. You are under no obligation to follow Krell's orders. No matter what he or Rex says. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." He nodded. She quirked her lips in a small smile. She placed a hand on his shoulder and opened her mouth to speak but another voice, the same as Fives, and yet so different, interrupted them.

"Am I interrupting something?" Rex's voice held a bitter tone as he watched them through his bucket. Her hand slipped from Fives' shoulder when he stood rather abruptly. 

"No, sir. She's all yours." He not-so-subtly winked, who to she wasn't sure but he did so anyway then left the room.

It was just her and Rex. She felt herself burn with shame, though she had no reason to be. She and Fives were friends, and that's all they would ever be. But the way Rex's golden eyes tried to hid a hint of pain and anger made her want to shrink in on herself. How was it that he could make her feel like she was back to being the impulsive 14-year-old she was when they first met. "Rex, I-"

"No need, Commander. I won't tell anyone if that is what concerns you." He replied bitterly. She stood when he turned to leave. She felt her chest tighten when he shrugged her hand away when she reached to him.

"Rex..." She pulled her hand away hesitantly before letting it fall to her side. He didn't even look at her. "Fives and I were just talking."

"I could see that much, Commander."

She felt her eye twitch. Her hand shot out and clamped on his shoulder, spinning him to face her. Her mouth opened with a retort on her tongue but she snapped it shut when the door opened. It was Dogma.

She saw his eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he resumed his blank expression. "Commander, there's a transmission from General Kenobi. General Krell sent me to fetch you, sir." He was stiff as he spoke, unlike most of the clones when they spoke with her or Anakin.

Ahsoka stepped away from Rex, straightening her posture. She gave Dogma a nod, "thank you, Dogma." She didn't look over her shoulder as she left. If she had she would seen the hurt expressed by the captain.

* * *

She blamed her biology. Togrutans are naturally social, and they are family-based creatures. She supposed that was the main reason for the lack of Jedi Togruta. Unless they showed exceptional promise in the ways of the force, the Jedi deemed it unnecessary to take them. Her species naturally cared for the wellbeing of those around them. There was a reason Shaak Ti was stationed on Kamino, for she was the right person to ensure the safety and wellbeing of clones.

She blamed her biology. Because of it, she had formed an attachment. And none like she had before, with Master Plo, Anakin, or Master Kenobi. Master Plo was the closest person she would ever come to consider a parent. He had saved her, just as she saved him, giving her a purpose in life, instead of leaving her to be alone in a world that wanted nothing more than to hurt her. Even as a youngling, she knew the bond she and Plo shared was against the Code. The way he'd often come in to check on her training, keeping her out of trouble, teaching her things that Yoda had refused to.

Anakin and Kenobi were similar, but it was much stronger with Anakin. Even through all their bickering and fighting, she knew that if the moment came they'd both sacrifice themselves for the other. He saved her from death more times than she could count, and she was there when his mind was clouded by fear. After 2 years of being his Padawan, she figured that her master had developed feelings for Senator Amidala. She confronted him on this, and he had admitted the truth. He had broken the code and had married. Most Jedi would have reported him to the Council, but she simply smiled and promised to keep the secret.

But this... this attachment was different. He made her heart race in her chest as if she were on the front lines, she felt the need to be near him, ensure his safety. She sought his praise and hid from his scorn. She was never sure what had attracted her to him, but she would never have done it differently.

* * *

"The hell was that _vod_?" Rex echoed when the door had closed behind Ahsoka. He walked up to Fives, setting his helmet down, showing his clenched fist, on the table and poked the ARC Trooper in the chest. "Going for a stroll when there's work to be done?"

Fives waved him off. "You don't care that I'm not working." His lips pulled into a smirk. "You're mad I was with the Commander. _Alone_." He emphasized alone, watching with raised brows as his vod's fist clenched tighter. He hadn't been kidding when he told the Commander that their Captain felt something similar to her. 

"You are distracting her from her-"

"Shove off, Rex. Stop hiding your jealousy with your 'duty' talk." Fives interrupted, sitting down where he was before. "The Commander and I are just friends. She wanted to talk, so that's what we did. Talk." He gestured for Rex to sit, who did after a hesitant moment. "She's worried about you." He spoke suddenly.

"Yes, more of us are falling with each-"

"No, she's worried about _you_ , Rex." Fives interrupted him when any other time he wouldn't due to the respect he held for the Captain, but the man was being a blind idiot. "Yes, of course, she worries about all of us, but the clone on her mind right now is _you_." He poked his vod's chest plate. He looked around him for a moment, making sure no one was there. "Sir, the entire battalion knows how you feel about her. You are as subtle as General Skywalker is with the senator." He smirked. He saw Rex's face flush up, making his blond hair more visible to the naked eye. "The point is, you should tell her." He continued seriously, but Rex merely shook his head.

"No, I can't-"

"You can't, or you won't?" Fives demanded.

"She is a _Jedi_. Her code forbids attachments. Even if she felt the same for me, I refuse to make her choose between the Republic and me." Rex's voice was soft, barely a whisper, but it echoed throughout the room.

"Weird way of saying you can't handle rejection-"

" _Fives_."

"Just joking, Captain. But I am serious. At the very least tell her, and get the pain off your shoulders. Everyone sees the look in your eyes when we go into battle. You think it's the last time you'll see her." Rex's eyes looked to the ground, hands on the table, shoulders shrugged in defeat. "Rex. Now is the time to say something. With General Krell's," the name of the Jedi was bitter is Fives' mouth, "suicide missions, neither of you might ever get a word in."

* * *

"Master Krell?" Ahsoka spoke when she entered the room with the transmitter. Krell stood there with Dogma at his side. He nodded to the trooper who went to the control panel and pushed a few buttons. An image flickered, before blue blocks formed into the shape of Obi-wan Kenobi. The two Jedi masters exchanged a nod before Kenobi sent a small but noticeable smile her way. 

"Congratulations on the capture of the airbase." Kenobi's voice was robotic but even so, she could sense the warmth radiating from his force signature towards her. This would be one of her first major victories without Anakin, and, had she been alone, she likely would be able to be on her way to Knighthood. "It's refreshing to have good news." Oh no.

"There will be time to celebrate once we've taken the Capital." Krell's voice was even as he spoke with Kenobi.

"Master?" She spoke up, the Jedi turning to her. "Are you having trouble from your point of assault?" She asked. Kenobi sighed but nodded.

"We are. The Umbaran's attacks from the capital have increased, and they've begun to use long-range missiles." 

"But haven't we cut off their supplies-" Krell cleared his throat, looking at Ahsoka with a glare of annoyance. She sighed and quieted down. Krell turned back to Kenobi, not batting an eye.

"As you were, General Kenobi."

"Yes, we are having trouble taking the capital. It seems they're receiving new shipments from a supply ship orbiting the planet. The attacks have increased and we're being forced to-" The master's image flickered in and out of existence, the blocks falling apart before coming together again. His voice came in and out of intervals, so they couldn't understand him. But from what she caught it seemed like the Umbarans were trying to separate them by cutting communications. 

"Can't we just, you know, destroy the supply ship?" She asked when Kenobi's signal was stabilized.

Obi-wan sadly shook his head. "We're trying our best, Ahsoka, but the Umbaran fleet outmatches ours, and the extra ships we were promised have yet to arrive."

Krell nodded. "It seems we'll have to conquer the Capital regardless of the missiles. My battalion will meet you at the rendezvous site. Expect-"

"No!" Ahsoka's voice boomed out. Her mind hadn't even processed the implications before she had shouted, catching everyone in the room, and Master Kenobi off guard. In the moment of silence she took her chance to speak. "They'd be marching into a blast zone. They'd all be killed, and even if some survived and made it into the capital, they'd be shot by the Umbarans before they could even take out one. Even with the help of both battalions. We cannot simply walk to their front door and expected to be welcomed." She squared her shoulders and faced Krell.

Kenobi rubbed his chin in thought, taking in the consideration of her words. But Krell looked furious. "Padawan Tano, you are in no place to question my decisions. This is the most effective option-"

"By costing us hundreds, if not thousands of unnecessary death?" She shot back, turning desperately to Obi-wan. "Master Kenobi, you know this is-"

"Ahsoka." She stopped when Master Kenobi interrupted her with a stern voice. "General Krell is right. I do not wish to lose more men than necessary, but, without more pilots or any aid, storming the Capital seems to be our best chance." 

She stood there horrified, even as Kenobi's image flickered again, and they lost his signal. She stood there even when Krell towered over her, placing a meaty hand on her shoulder and turning her to face him

Krell pulled his teeth back in a snarl. "Are you questioning my orders, Padawan Tano?" His voice was low like he was challenging her.

His voice snapped her out of it and she narrowed her eyes at him. "This storm on the Capital will cost hundreds of lives I- I can't just-"

"Padawan Tano, this is war. Lives are a necessary cost for victory." Krell spoke like he was talking to a youngling, and not a young woman.

"You'd be sending them into a blast zone! Our troops will be wiped out, and for nothing!" She argued but Krell ignored her. He left, heading towards the door with Dogma on his heels.

"Prep the men for battle. We advance in the morning." The door closed behind him, leaving her alone in the room.

* * *

Luckily for her she had run into Rex on her way to find her men, and she explained everything to him. His face had hardened, and he told her he would be back, marching towards Krell. She only sighed, knowing no one could change his mind. Not unless they were a Council member or another Jedi Master. Even then. Her lekku swung by her sides as she walked. Even in despair her pace was graceful and evened.

She felt hollow when she went to one of the hangers where she found some of her men, including Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase. Jesse noticed her first. He stood up and went over to her, ready to give her a warm greeting but then saw the defeat on her face. "Commander?" His voice brought everyone's attention to her.

Wordlessly she sat down on a crate and let her head fall into her hands. The hanger was silent around her, with troopers exchanging looks of concern with one another for their Commander's odd behavior.

She stayed that way for a good minute before speaking. Her hands still held her face but her voice was loud and clear. "We're advancing onto the Capital tomorrow." Silence. She peeked through her fingers to see the troopers with confused expressions. "Is there a problem?"

"Well, you see, sir," Dogma spoke, "if we're advancing on to the Capital, I do not see why you would be so down." He explained.

"..." She took in a breath. She couldn't even look them in the eyes when she told them. She explained Krell's plan, watching their faces go from blank to shock, to horror, then to anger. Once she finished they had protested.

"Those missiles have a hundred megaton yield. We won't even make it to the _Delta_!" Ah, Fives, the voice of reason.

"What can I do? I've tried, believe me, I have _tried_ to reason with him, see that what he is doing will cost us hundreds of lives, but he doesn't listen. I thought, of all the people here, he'd listen to me, but no, he treats me as though I am a youngling going into my first battle." She growled out, crossing her arms. "And I know Rex has too." 

As if on cue she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Unfortunately, the Commander is right. Those are the orders." Rex hummed his disappointment.

"Great, another suicide mission." Jesse rolled his eyes from his place at the panel. "The capital is too well armed-"

Tup jumped in. "Why does it seem like he has it out for Clones?"

"Well I think you're all over-reacting," Ah, there he was. Dogma spoke from his place sitting on a crate, bucket tucked under his arm. "Obviously the General knows what he is doing. Do you really think he doesn't care if he loses men?" Yes, she thought to herself but outloud she said nothing.

"I'm not saying that," Jesse defended himself. "I'm just saying I think his desire for victory has blinded him to the fact that there are _lives_ are at stack." He gestured to the datapad he held. "I've never seen a General with these kinds of casualties. This General has gone through 3 battalions. It'll be a miracle if we're not the 4th." Jesse grumbled the last sentence but she picked it up. Togruta had better hearing than people, so she heard most things they didn't, including the 'under-the-breath' comments.

"He is out of control!" Fives erupted, voicing her thoughts. "He is not acting like the other Jedi. He has no respect for us! I do not understand why they sent him to take charge when we have Commander Tano." He gestured to her. She felt her lekku darken at being called out. "We all know if she were in charge, we wouldn't even have half as many casualties as we've had under him. And she respects us. She calls us by our names. He calls us by our _numbers_." She noticed Hardcase and Jesse nod but Dogma had rolled his eyes. She had to admit, Dogma's loyalty was admirable.

"Look," Rex interrupted Fives' rant. "I don't agree with him either, but I don't have a better plan. And I don't see any of you coming up with any."

"Why don't we use these starfighters?" Fives suggested, gesturing to the hanger, where dozens of starships were parked. "We can use these to destroy the supply ship."

"Our fleet is trying," Rex countered. "But they have it as well-armed as the Capital." Go figure that's where they were sending the supplies.

"But we have their access codes _and_ their own hardware!" Fives smirked, bringing in the big guns. 

She felt a small smile break on her face. "You were able to crack it?" She spoke for the first time in a while. 

Fives' eyes were bright as he nodded, lightly hitting Jesse's arm. "Mhmm. We can sneak right past the blockade. Get where our ships can't." She saw Rex bring a hand to his chin. Fives decided to top of the argument, ensuring the Captain's support. "We destroy that supply ship, we cut off arms to the capital."

Rex nodded after a moment. She had stood up and moved over to Fives and Jesse, reading the hardware they decoded. "Commander, we should go propose our plan to the General." 

She paused for a moment then shook her head. "I don't think he'll take well from me. We argued enough on the advancement, I doubt he'd be willing to listen to me anymore." She gave a lop-sided smile. When Rex turned she called out his name, making him pause. "When you tell him about the plan, tell him that I'll lead it. I don't think he'd be too fond of the idea of Clones leading their own missions again." She raised a brow, referring to them sneaking into the airbase. Rex nodded, but his eyes were lighter and she felt proud she had managed to cheer him up.

* * *

She had followed the men to the barracks, waiting for Rex to return with news on the plan. Something felt off to her, in the force. Like a shadow was falling upon them. It made her worry. Had the Umbarans contacted Dooku to come and aid them? The last thing they needed was for a Sith Lord to add to the attacks.

The sound of the door opened and she jumped off the bed, looking to Rex with expectant eyes. But the look on his face made any hope she held of the plan coming to light died. "The... assault on the capital... will continue as planned." Immediately the mood in the room dropped.

They (her, Fives, Tup, and Jesse) all exchanged glances. She felt her nose scrunch up in frustration. Maybe Tup was right, and Krell had it out for clones. She had heard of Jedi who thought the clones were unnecessary or inferior to other sentient beings, just pawns in this game of war. "So that's it?" Jesse spoke with disbelief like he expected Rex to say he was joking. "We just _walk_ into those missiles?"

Fives, who had been sitting firmly shook his head and stood up. "Oh, there's another option! We go ahead with our plan and suffer the consequences." 

Rex immediately shook his head and sat down. "You would be court-martialed." He protested, leaning his arm on his knee. "If it were up to, or Commander Tano, and we had the time and training, I would say do it. But the truth is, you," he gestured to his fellow troopers, "are no pilots."

Jesse scoffed. "Oh, come on! If _Hardcase_ can fly one of these guys, we all can."

"Yeah, he wasn't really flying," Tup interrupted, being a bit of a downer, but he was bringing up a good point, "more like, avoiding crashing." He sighed, Hardcase beside him glaring at the ground and clenching a fist. "We'd be blasted out of the sky before we get anywhere."

An idea popped into her head. She abruptly stood up and placed her hands on Fives' shoulders. He looked at her in confusion. "I've got it! Fives remember when we were in the hanger and you said you had cracked the codes to the Umbaran starfighters?" He nodded slowly. She waited a moment, letting the idea sink it. She saw the realization dawn on his face and he nodded excitedly. "No one will be shooting at us!" She spoke, turning to the others. She saw Hardcase brighten up. He opened his mouth to say something but the sound of the door opening shut that down. Dogma walked into the room, stiff as a board. They all fell silent, knowing if he caught wind of their plan he'd immediately run to Krell.

"What's going on here?" He looked at them all suspiciously.

"Uh, nothing?" Tup offered.

She rolled her eyes. "Guys, relax, he deserves to know." She turned to Dogma who stood at attention when she spoke to him. "We were simply discussing the assault on the capital. We've decided that some men need to stay behind to keep an eye on the airbase. We suspect the Umbarans will take the opportunity of our assault to try to reclaim the airbase." She explained cooley. "Tell General Krell that the men will be ready for tomorrow's attack." He nodded and saluted, leaving the room immediately. She felt a sigh of relief come from the others when he disappeared. "Now then we-" she paused, looking around the room. "Where's Rex and Fives?"

Hardcase nodded to a doorway. She thanked him and went over to the door. Before she opened it, she could hear shouting coming from the other side.

"-in marching to our deaths?"

"We are a part of something larger. We are not independent of one another!"

"I'm sorry! But I cannot just follow orders when I _know_ they're wrong. Commander Tano herself knows they're wrong and has been fighting against it since the beginning. It's time we join and back her. Lives are at stake!"

"You will if you support the system we fight for!"

"I do support it! I do! But I am not just another number! None of us are!" She heard Fives shout. She took that opportunity to open the door, halting any other words that might've been shouted between the two. Fives looked away while Rex seemed to be looking to her for help.

"Commander-"

"Stop. Rex, I know you're trying your best, but sometimes following the rules is not what's best. I'm sorry, but I am going on that mission." She looked over to Fives who looked relieved to have someone with more authority on his side. "I'm not asking anyone to come with me, but I am not letting you or any more of my men die because of Krell." She paused for a moment. She took the time to breathe in. Suddenly she pulled Rex into a hug. She felt the captain freeze in her arms before he slowly melted and his arms curled around her waist. "In case I don't make it back." She whispered in his ear. She pulled away, nodded to Fives, and left the room.

* * *

"Commander!" They had only a few more hours until the battalion marched towards certain death. A voice called her, and she saw Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase come up to her. She paused, letting them catch up to her. 

"Yes?" She spoke softly. 

"Come on, let's go become pilots." Fives smiled at her with a firm nod. She felt warmth fill her chest and she couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face. She followed them to the hanger, a sudden joy filling her for the first time since they arrived at the airbase.

* * *

Hardcase was taking the first go at flying the ships. Jesse and she both attached the missile launchers to the sides, giving Hardcase the thumbs up to give him the go-ahead. Fives was at the panel, trying to find a way to make the flying more stable. He nodded to Hardcase saying that it should be a bit easier.

Slowly the ship lifted off the ground, hovering a few meters above the ground. It stayed there for a moment before tilting and moving backward. "Woah, I got it," she heard Hardcase call from inside the ship, but then the ship immediately shot backward. Hardcase yelped when the bottom of the ship knocked over a stack of crates. She ducked when the ship moved forward, avoiding a metal knock on the head. Fives ducked also then called out to his brother. "Hardcase! What are you doing?" He called out exasperated.

"If I knew I wouldn't be doing it!" Hardcase exclaimed as the ship spun out of control. 

"Hardcase! Hardcase! Try to level your hands!" She called out to him while avoiding the ship as to not get a concussion. With another crate pile being knocked over, other troopers were hitting the deck, getting out of the way.

"Ugh, this cannot get much worse..." She heard Fives groan. She saw Jesse look at his panel and look to her with alarm. She hurried over and looked, seeing an alarm had been tipped. She ran a hand over her face.

"Fives?"

"Yeah?"

"It got worse."

A moment later she heard Krell's voice come from the panel, demanding to know what was happening. She didn't say anything, knowing if she did he would become suspicious. She looked to Fives with panic. He immediately rushed over, lightly pushing her aside. "I got this." He tapped into the frequency so he could respond. Krell's voice was still booming from the other side. 

While Fives handled Krell, she went to help Hardcase. He crashed into other ships, which began to fall. Using the force she prevented 2 from falling but they were dropping quickly and she couldn't do much. She heard snippets of Fives and what he was telling Krell but she could tell he was having trouble so she went over to him and waved her hands. He looked at her. "uhhh..." She panicked for a moment and waved her arms around then to the alarm. Fives nodded. "We're uh, safety drill, sir."

Krell's voice came through and she could tell even through the comic he was losing his patience. "Safety drill occurs at 0600! Who authorized this drill? Trooper? Are you listening?!" She shrugged for a moment then pointed to herself.

"Uh, Commander Tano, sir. She asked us to..." She mouthed the word 'decoding' to him, "to decrypt the alien technology, sir!" The two looked at each and they were losing excuses. She flinched when she saw Hardcase accidentally ram into one of the fallen ships, turning it over and creating a loud screeching noise of metal on metal. Suddenly blaster bolts were firing, and with Hardcase unable to control the ship, they were being shot in all directions. Everyone ducked and took cover. She reached her hand out and dragged some crates over to create a shield of sorts for her and Fives so they didn't suddenly get sniped. 

"Who is this? What's your CT number?" Krell shouted from his side of the com. She pulled her lips in a straight line. How he wasn't hearing the blaster bolts being fired she had no idea, but she had never been so grateful for someone's selective hearing. 

Hardcase flew above them, knocking over the last of the ships. He spun around in a circle, flipping upside down, but slowly coming back to the ground. She had to mentally sigh with relief that nothing was too damaged.

And over course, this is when shit hit the fan. She saw Hardcase lowering himself to the ground, but he had somehow accidentally activated the missiles. The bolts were building up and she could only yell 'DUCK' at the other troopers before they fired. Luckily they didn't hit anyone, unluckily, they hit the hanger door, completely disintegrating them to dust. 

A moment later, Hardcase landed and hopped out, accessing the damage he did. Fives walked up to him gesturing to the hanger. "What was that?! You could've gotten us killed! Not to mention ruining our chances of flying this mission." Fives pinched the bridge of his nose but Hardcase shrugged it off.

"Relax, it was a malfunction. No harm done."

"Tell that to the remains of the hangar door." She deadpanned. 

Her eyes widened when she saw Krell, Dogma, and Rex in tow, stalk up to them, murderous intent in his eyes. "Explain, troopers."

She opened her mouth to speak but Hardcase beat her to it. "Sir, we were, uh, decrypting the alien technology when it appears that a um, enemy boobytrap was triggered. Had I not been able to turn the ship in time to face the door, Commander Tano could have been killed." The trooper gestured to her. All eyes turned to her and she felt herself freeze in place. Put her on the frontlines of a battle and she'd be fine, but having people stare at her? Nope.

"Padawan Tano, is this true?" Krell demanded. 

She found herself nodding. "Yes, Master. Hardcase saved my life. We'll repair the hangar door." She spoke, avoiding his eyes. 

"Captain Rex, it seems I was correct. The Umbaran ships are too dangerous for flight. Lock them up! I want this hangar to be on lockdown for the rest of the night." Krell demanded, troopers already moving to close the hangar.

Fives waited till Krell and Rex were out of hearing range before he punched Hardcase in the arm. "Great! Now we know how they work and we can't even get near them." He waved at the fighters in despair.

Hardcase sat down on a crate and rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. It's just _procedure_. We can just sneak in and be gone before Krell notices anything." He wiggled his fingers when he said sneaking as if to help Fives envision them secretly taking the ships.

She leaned an arm on Fives' shoulder. "Hardcase is right. Besides, I have clearance that you two don't. So even if another trooper catches us it'll all be good." She assured him. After a moment of thought, he nodded and joined their frenzy, a smirk growing on his lips.

They heard clapping, the three turned to see Jesse slow clapping as he approached him. He lightly hit Hardcase's shoulder. "I thought the plan was to destroy the enemy's ship with the fighters, not blow up our own hangar." He laughed, the sound bouncing off the empty hangar.

"Look, I say we got through with this. You two offering to come along?" Fives asked, straightening next to Ahsoka. It was already certain the two of them would go, but a little extra help wouldn't hurt.

"I'm in." Hardcase stood up, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Regardless of the consequences." He nodded to her and she smiled brightly at him.

"Mm... I suppose this is better than dying on a suicide mission..." Jesse drew out. "I'm in."

Fives turned to her and gave a mock salute, "ready when you are Commander."

* * *

She was alone in the hangar, waiting for the guys to get back from telling Rex. She opted not to go because, well someone had to get the ships ready, and she didn't want to see his face right now, knowing he might try and talk her out of it. 

With the hangar on lockdown, they needed to be extra careful. Once they took off they'd have to hurry before Krell sent anyone after them.

"Commander." She looked up and saw her crew enter the hangar. She smiled and gestured to the ships.

"Okay boys, let's go destroy a supply ship."

* * *

"Ugh, these things are trickier than I imagined!"

"Just keep your hands leveled, Jesse." She shouted over to him, the ship stabilizing a moment later after he followed her advice.

"I can't believe we're doing this..."

"Would you rather walk into a blast zone? At least we're doing something that could work!" 

She groaned. "Guys, bicker after we get this mission done, okay? We have enough to deal with." They broke the atmosphere of the planet, flying up towards the coordinates of the supply ship. She knew that Kenobi's men were trying to destroy the enemy fleet to attack the supply ship, but for some reason, she still didn't expect what they found. When the emerged from the clouds surrounding the planet all she could see was gunfire. Ships, both Republic and Separatist were flying about, attacking one another with a large supply ship on the other end of the crossfire.

"Follow me! We can't draw attention to ourselves!" She ordered, spinning her ship to fly under one of the larger ships. The clones followed, mimicking her every move with ease. She had to bite her lip when she saw an Umbaran shoot down one of their pilots. They couldn't give themselves away, that was the point of using the starfighters.

"I'm not liking this!" Jesse shouted through their shared com. 

"You're more than welcome to turn around Jesse!" She snapped back, but she saw him stay with the group. 

Gunfire shot past them, but the blasters were green, meaning they were Umbaran. For a moment she thought they had been figured out, but a flaming republic fighter flew past her, crashing into the wall of a bigger ship. Oh. They must've hit the ship to prevent what they thought was a fellow Umbaran from dying. This might've been the only time she was relieved to see a Republic ship crash.

"Looks like they think we're Umbaran all right..." She heard Hardcase mutter. "Kinda disappointed. Wanted to shot some of these guys out of the sky."

"Easy Hardcase," she chuckled, "you can shoot down as many of the bastards as you want after we blow up the ship."

"Um, Commander? We never actually discussed how we were going to destroy the ship." Fives admitted. She felt his anxiety through the force and tried to send a wave of calm his way.

"Master destroyed a ship like this when he was a kid. He told me that the key is hitting the main reactor. So we're gonna find it, and blow the hell out of it. Sound fun, Hardcase?" She smiled knowing he would enjoy it.

"Hell yeah!" The trooper let out a whoop of excitement.

The door to the main hangar was open, letting them swoop in with ease. The hangar was empty, no ships besides theirs to be seen. The droids in there were moving crates and paid them no mind. Thankfully the droids appeared less and less as they flew further into the base.

Suddenly the alarms began to go off, red lights flashing around them. She cursed under her breath and sped up the fighter, the main reactor in her sight. She quickly activated the missiles and fired one, but a shield had gone up, absorbing the missile, preventing any damage. "Goddammit!" She growled, spinning her ship around. Fives, Hardcase, and Jesse followed her lead, spinning the ships to face the way they came. Droids were rushing towards them and fired their blasters, but no damage was done thanks to the ray shield around them. "Have at em boys!"

They began to fire their guns at them, taking down the droids with ease, but more kept coming. She growled in frustration when she got a warning that her shields were taking damage. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around the hangar to find a way out of this. Her blue gaze darted all around the room before they came to focus on the missile launcher on the side of her ship. Realization dawned on her, prompting her to jump from her ship.

She heard Fives yell for her to get back into her ship, but she was too focused on getting the launcher off her ship. More fire was directed towards her but the clones were taking down the enemy quickly. She grunted when the launcher came off, allowing her to pull it away. "You guys have to get out of here!" She shouted into her com as she pushed the missile launcher towards the reactor. There was a door, which was not ray shielded, big enough for her to get the launcher through.

The troopers protested but she shook her head. "You've disobeyed enough orders today, boys. Follow this one! I'll be fine!" She waved at them to get going. She heaved as she got the launcher past the door. She saw the three ships beginning to leave. With a heavy push, she shot the launcher at one of the core reactor pipes. She aimed for a farther one so she had a bit more time. Once it was clear there was nothing stopping it, she rushed out of the room.

With little time she booked it to her fighter and hopped in. She shot the ship forward, seeing the others a few meters ahead of her. Their voices came through on her com but she wasn't able to respond, as the sound of an explosion came from behind her. From the corner of her eye, she could see the explosion quickly catching up to her. She held her breath and excerpted the ship to its maxed speed, but the firey death was still gaining on her.

The others were outside of the ship, the exit only a few more meters ahead. The voices of her men came through on her com, shouting for her with the concern and fear in their voices more clear than the words they spoke. She yelped when she felt the explosion catch the back of her ship, feeling the blistering heat through the ray shield. It launched her forward, sending her flying, both metaphorically and literally out the hangar. Her ship shot past the men's. She heard their shouts over the com, congratulating her. The heat on her back remained, her skin feeling like it was on fire. When she looked, she saw that the heat had caught her arm through the ray shield, her skin now a dark blistering red with the skin somewhat cracked. With the adrenaline still running through her system, she couldn't feel anything, but if it was half as bad as it looked, she would be in a great amount of pain soon.

"Come on guys. Let's get back before they think we're all dead." She huffed with relief, the trip back towards the airbase much more relaxed than the trip there. She looked behind her and saw the supply ship had been destroyed into 2 halves, one was completely destroyed while the other was in decent condition, but was quickly being torn apart.

The men watched the work they had managed to accomplish, knowing how many lives they had inadvertently saved. They could only hope Krell could see the same thing.

* * *

"Damn, Commander. Kix is going to have a field day with you." Fives' hand traced over the burned flesh on her shoulder and back. Some of her dress had been scorched and had to be ripped away. The ARC trooper insisted when he noticed her flying was off. They made it back to the airbase, landing outside of the base to avoid any confrontation at the moment. They needed some rest and time to relax. She could see how her men's hands shook even as they walked.

Five's hand was on her shoulder, trying to be supportive as they got to the barracks. They were empty, save for Tup and Kix. The two noticed them and immediately stood up. Tup ran up to Fives and brought him into a hug, tugging Jesse in. Hardcase and Kix nodded to one another with fond smiles on their faces. Tup sped walked to her after hugging his brothers and engulfed her in a hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. She laughed and wrapped her arms around him. But when he set her down his hand had skimmed her burnt skin. She let out a yelp and clung to her shoulder in pain. Tup immediately jumped back, thinking he had hurt her but she shook her head.

Jesse explained what had happened, prompting Kix to rush over to her and drag her to the med bay, the three of the four other clones to follow. She noticed Fives head out of the barracks, likely to report to Rex.

Kix lectured her while patching her up, rubbing a bacta cream on her skin. It stung for a moment before the once flaming skin was cold. She sighed with relief, letting go of Hardcase's hand. He offered it to her when she couldn't hold back the whimpers of pain she felt.

"You made it out alive." Her head snapped up. Rex was in the doorway, Fives next to him. The Captain saw her shoulder; his eyes widened and he walked forward towards her. His bucket fell from his hand, forgotten on the floor. He crouched next to her, a hand on her knee.

Her gaze zeroed in on his hand, shyly looking through her lashes to his face. The right side of her mouth pulled back so she gave him a rather fond half-smile. A shaky breath left him and he returned it.

It seemed at that moment he recognized they were not alone, his professional attitude quickly returning to play. He stood up abruptly. "Good to see you safe, Commander." Her brows furrowed at the title. She couldn't stop the sigh that left her, her eyes meeting Fives' over the Captain shoulder. The ARC trooper smacked his forehead then raised a hand to his head and spun his finger around his ear.

"Where are the ships?" Tup asked following Kix bandaging her shoulder and back.

"Um... they're somewhere out in the wilderness. Cut them up with my sabers so they couldn't be found and used." She spoke softly, feeling a sudden way of fatigue wash over her. The team of four finally seemed to be calming down, enjoying the rare peace and quiet. But it was not to last.

Three troopers entered the room, all in uniform, blasters at the ready. Dogma was in the lead, walking up to them with no hesitation. "General Krell wants to see you, Commander Tano. Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase too" He spoke curtly, gesturing with his blaster for her to stand.

Rex opened his mouth to protest but she held a hand up, silencing him. She stood, the three men following her lead. Dogma nodded to the other two troopers who went behind them and began to escort them to the tower were Krell was.

* * *

The room was empty, save for her, Jesse, Fives, Hardcase, Rex, and Krell. When Dogma voiced their arrival Krell had dismissed the trooper. "It seems, today, you accomplished a very brave act," he wasn't finished, "unfortunately you have also committed a serious crime by directly disobeying orders." He finally turned to face them. Ahsoka glared at him, the fire in her eyes mutually returned from the General.

"We saved lives."

"You committed treason." She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"We destroyed an enemy supply ship, the one thing standing between us and a successful assault on the Capital, saved hundreds of men's lives, and you have the gall to call us traitors?" She snarled.

"I am not talking about your clones, Commander." His voice was cold. Although she would never admit it, a chill was sent down her spine. "I know you organized this mission, ordered your men to disobey orders from me, and foolishly went on a suicide mission to prove a point." 

"Sir-" Rex interrupted, "the order to attack the airship was _mine_." He held a hand to his chest, stepping in front of Ahsoka.

"Rex. It's fine. I own my decision. It was the right thing to do and I do not regret it." She lightly moved him aside, meeting his widened eyes. She saw the tint of fear he held in his golden orbs, so she gave him a small smile to reassure him, though it likely did nothing to lighten his mood. She looked back to Krell, squaring her shoulders and holding up her chin. "I would do it a million times over, regardless of the consequences. I can not stand by and watch you murder my men while you watch idly from the sidelines-" Her sentence was cut off. The sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the room.

Ahsoka was on the ground, holding herself up on her elbows. Her cheek stung, eyes wide as they stared at the ground. She blinked frantically, trying to process what had just happened. Krell stood over her with murderous eyes, a snarl present on his face. Krell had _hit_ her. 

"Captain, take her to the prisons below the tower. I want her sealed away until tomorrow."

Rex had to swallow, fighting his instinct to help Ahsoka to her feet. "What... what's tomorrow, sir?"

"We must deal with this traitor. Take the clones down too. Once we capture the capital, we'll send them off for reconditioning." If the room was already filled with fear, the room was now flooded. She couldn't breath, even as she felt Rex help her to her feet and lead her to the door.

She just stared blankly at the wall of her cell, Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase all in one of their own across from her. She was crouched in on herself.

Tomorrow would be the last day she saw them. And they wouldn't even remember her.

She meant what she said. She regretted nothing. Nothing except having to drag her friends down with her.


	4. Edit/Update

Sorry, sorry, this isn't an update. Rather it's something I'd like to ~~show off~~ tell you guys. So everyone who has read this story has likely seen the picture of Ahsoka for this story, yes? Well I updated it, and it looks alot better. She looks much more grown up and I like this version much better. Ill update the first chapter to show this one instead, but you know, I thought I'd make its own announcement. Luv you all! <3

[Ahsoka Tano Aged 20](https://sta.sh/01bmpc9rsgr8)


	5. S04E010

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Rex might be a little ooc in this... but I'm trying my best XD

_"Captain, take her to the prisons below the tower. I want her sealed away until tomorrow."_

_Rex had to swallow, fighting his instinct to help Ahsoka to her feet. "What... what's tomorrow, sir?"_

_"We must deal with this traitor. Take the clones down too. Once we capture the capital, we'll send them off for reconditioning." If the room was already filled with fear, the room was now flooded. She couldn't breathe, even as she felt Rex help her to her feet and lead her to the door._

_She just stared blankly at the wall of her cell, Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase all in one of their own across from her. She was crouched in on herself._

_Tomorrow would be the last day she saw them. And they wouldn't even remember her._

_She meant what she said. She regretted nothing. Nothing except having to drag her friends down with her._

* * *

The cells in the airbase were empty and small, so she doubted prisoners were kept longer or even taken at all. She had her back turned toward the entrance, the cuffs on his wrists digging in softly to her flesh. With her back turned, no one could see the look of anguished that had printed itself on her features. Her lips pressed together, the markings above her brow furrowed tightly, and her eyes sealed shut. She wasn't crying, not yet anyway. 

Across the prison, Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase were in their own cell. Unlike her, they had to share, making the already small space even smaller. They were all standing, sharing collective worried faces as they looked at their Commander. Their commander, so full of fire and spirit, hunched over in a cell, like a shell. It hurt Fives especially, for Ahsoka had saved Echo's life at the Citadel, fully securing herself a spot in his heart. 

While his feelings were nothing to Rex's, he deeply cared for the young woman who had risked her life so many times for them, when they were designed to die in the war. Watching the Togruta, he couldn't take enough and he decided to speak. "Commander?" His voice was hoarse, having not used it for a few hours since they were locked up in here.

Her head tilted slightly towards him, but she did not face him. Seeing this as a good thing he continued. "Don't worry about us, Commander. We'll be okay." He saw her back stiffen. He hit the nail.

She was silent for a moment, letting his words hang in the balance. "No... you won't. You'll be killed, just as I will be in the morning." Her soft reply came, and he couldn't help the chill that ran down his spine with how _dead_ her voice was.

"It's reconditioning, not an-"

"They'll wipe away _everything_ that makes you you and they kill it like you were nothing but a pawn!" She shouted and stood up abruptly. The three troopers each took in a sharp breath at the tears that rolled down her sienna cheeks. "They'll kill everything that makes you Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase. How is that any less than murder? If I die I at least know who I am, but you get everything taken away an-" She choked on a cry. Her knees gave out and she crumbled to the ground, her whimpers echoing through the circular room.

The three men were lined up, facing towards her. They could only watch her cry and could do nothing besides offering comforting words on deaf ears (or montrals in this case). She only stopped when she heard the elevator coming down to their level. She sniffled but no wails or sobs escaped her as she faced whoever decided to come down. 

She didn't even have to look up to know it was Krell. His odorous force signature could be identifiable from the other side of the galaxy. Her blue orbs only met his when the shield over her cell disappeared. Dogma and Tup were with him, holding their blasters.

"Commander. Or should I say, Ahsoka? Seeing as you hold no rank now." Krell's grin made her stomach curl within her. Her cell felt small smaller as he came in, each step forward matched each step backward she made. The cold wall was the only thing that allowed Krell to get close to her. A hand curled around her lungs and squeezed, her breathing increasing with speed and instability with each second.

"What do you want? Come to execute me early?" She sneered. His hand shot up, as though he were about to slap her again. Her instinctive reaction was to flinch, which was immediately followed by the dark chuckle from the Jedi Master in front up of her.

"No. Just come to see how you were faring." He raised his brows at her, two of his four arms crossing behind his back. "Padawan Tano, I have come to offer you a deal." He hummed with a certain glint in his eyes. It made her skin heat up with an uncomfortable feeling pooling in her gut.

"What is it?"

"You will be reinstated as the Commander of this foolish battalion, and all charges on you will be dropped," she bit the inside of her lip, waiting for the catch. "However all deals are a give and take. In this case, your give is your men." Her heart froze in her chest. The cyan blue eyes in her head darted to the men who were across from them and watched on with curiosity and horror. "All charges on you will be shifted to them, and they will be court-martialed, and _executed_. A small price to pay." His voice was calm, with a smile, believing she would accept his proposal.

This couldn't be farther from the truth.

She voiced this, her tone suddenly strong, like the Commander she was before she had entered this tomb of death and destruction of a planet. "No. These men have nearly died for me, multiple times, and I will not hand their lives over like they meant nothing to me. You, on the other hand, I would gladly impale on my blade if given the opportunity, for threatening my men to my face." She spat at him. She pushed her lips together, spitting at his foot. He stepped back before it could it hit, however, the blaze in his eyes matched the idea.

That's when it happened. Her throat suddenly pinched. Her feet left the floor. The only sound that escaped her was a hushed choking gurgle. Her eyes stung as the oxygen in her body was cut off. Any air that entered through her nostrils or mouth would hit a barrier, unable to pass. Her hands clawed at the invisible chains around her neck, as though that would help her to breathe.

Shouts echoed in her montrals. It was Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase yelling, seeing their Commander slowly having the life torn from her in front of them. Her limbs grew heavy and her eyes fluttered shut. The world around her dimmed as she was dropped. She was too out of it to land softly, rather falling ungracefully as she landed on her front, gasping for air and blinking away the tears that fell from her eyes.

The shouting grew clearer, the clones were shouting in Mando, though she was unable to understand with the lack of oxygen in her body. 

Krell said nothing as he turned and left. They were alone now.

The boys called out to her, but she was unresponsive, already haven sunk into unconsciousness.

* * *

There were hands touching her shoulder, fingering lightly drawing on her skin. She let out a groan, though her eyes stayed close. The hands disappeared for a moment, but she felt them return after a paused silence. Footsteps echoed from the floor into her montrals. 

"How is she, Kix?" The hand came to rest between her shoulder blades.

"She's got bruising around her neck, well as scratches-"

"Scratches?"

"Yes, Captain. She must've clawed at her neck when it happened, but besides that her burns are nearly healed. The skin will just be sensitive there. Although..." Kix's voice trailed off, the silence speaking for itself. "Rex, we aren't even allowed to be down here. You do realize we could be sent to reconditioning right next to those three." Kix's voice paused, likely for him to gesture to Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase. 

"I just need her to be okay. General Skywalker should be back soon. He'll be able to-"

"Rex. Commander Tano is to be executed at _dawn_. Even when the General returns, it will be too late." The voice was serious. A wave of sadness flowed over her, though not from her own being. It surrounded her, swallowing her whole until she could feel nothing else. "... I'll be in the barracks if you need to talk." The aura of depression lessened, but nonetheless choked her.

"Commander?" A gentle touch dragged lightly over her cheek. It was warm, someone's hand, cradling her cheek. 

Her face scrunched up as her eyelids cracked open. They snapped shut after a moment from the bright light emitting from the room, but slowly her eyes adjusted, allowing her to see clearly. She was against the wall, sitting, her arm draped over her lap while the other lay beside her.

Her eyes followed the lining of the room until they met the warm golden brown of her captain's eyes. "...Rex?"

"Commander." He gave her a crooked smile. His eyes were red and he looked exhausted.

With his help, she managed to fully sit up, her knees tucked into her chest. "What happened? Where-" It was only then she noticed he wasn't wearing his armor. "Where's your gear?"

"In the barracks." He hushed her, discreetly looking over his shoulder then back to her. "Krell forbid any of us from seeing you four, but I just, I had-"

"Don't. Krell has shown he does not give a shit about your lives. If he finds out you were here he will kill you-" She protested, swallowing when her throat got dry. Rex had shifted to sitting in front of her, his eyes filled with pain and sorrow. If that was enough, the depression surrounding her force signature engulfed her being. "Rex?"

"I'm sorry. Krell has... ordered your execution at dawn. Alongside Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase." The blond looked away from her, his face scrunched up. She saw the tears threatening to spill over his eyes. She wasn't far being, her own eyes stinging from his words. 

"What, what did-"

"He doesn't believe reconditioning will be enough... Or rather, he wants them executed instead." Her captain bit out with venomous words. 

"..."

"I tried my best, Commander... but-"

"Rex, just, just stop. It's okay. We knew the price. I don't regret anything, and I doubt they do either. We saved your lives, and there is no better reason to die than that-"

"Ahsoka." He interrupted her. "Don't... aren't you scared? To leave everything behind? The Jedi, the clones... me?" He looked to her seriously.

Her lekku burned as they darkened, which wasn't noticeable in the dark cell. "Of course I will. I will miss every single one of-"

"No, me. _Just_ me."

"Just... just you?"

"Just me. Just... Rex."

She stared at him in silence, him staring back. 

Her fingers ran over his lower arm, feeling the clone shiver beneath her touch. They tangled with his own digits, holding on tightly. Her cyan eyes met his amber ones. "I'll miss you the most." She whispered softly with a fondness consuming her. With a bit of a struggle, she managed to lean towards him. Ever so lightly, she placed a kiss on his lips, barely ghosting them, but it was one that left the Captain's head spinning.

She hadn't even pulled back a foot before he was on her. His lips were on hers, kissing her as though he'd never see her again. He wouldn't. 

Ahsoka let out a squeak before melting into the display of rare affection form the captain. She rolled her lips against his and gently nipped his bottom lip. The Captain hummed and leaned in closer, one of his hands coming up to cup her cheek.

Eventually, they had to pull back to breathe, but they leaned their foreheads against one another. Breathless smiles crossed their faces before the realization sunk in. They still didn't move, holding one another. Her hands had come to hold his face, running her thumb over his cheek, something the captain leaned into. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

(Soo.... I can't add photos cause my computer can't handle it apparently... so here. A link! Yes, I know Rex looks weird, but I don't draw male characters a lot. Well, _human_ male characters...)

<https://sta.sh/01l2j87fg0z0>

It all crashed down. 

The tears Rex had held back escaped, cascading down his tanned skin, the droplets of water quickly brushed away by Ahsoka. She hushed him and held him close, feeling him shake as he held her close.

* * *

Dawn came. Today 4 of their best soldiers would be killed for supposed treason. 3 of those 4 were awake, watching the cell opposite of them.

Inside was their Commander, holding their Captain in her arms. He was fast asleep, and the Commander was not fully awake, but her hands ran over his hair with a soft touch and sad look in her azul eyes. He must've fallen asleep in the cell.

Fives had been awake all night, and informed the other two of the news. They were going to be killed alongside Tano.

By the time Dogma came, helmet on, with two more clones, Jay and Biggs, Ahsoka had wakened the Captain. She likely had sensed them, if not through the force then her biological awareness.

They sent Rex to get his armor, bringing the 4 of them to their fate.

6 clones were lined up, blasters hung over their shoulders. Tup and Kix were there, which made this all the worse. Rex was there, clad in his armor, gripping his bucket tightly.

They had them stand against the wall. Ahsoka stood in the center. She held her head high, looking them all in the eye and gave a final nod of respect. This was her goodbye.

"I've officially lost my sense of humor."

Dogma marched in front of the firing line looking at them with a blank expression. "Would the prisoners request to be blindfolded?" They said nothing. "I'll take that as a no."

"I hope you can live with yourself Dogma." Fives spat at his brother.

Dogma ignored him. "Ready weapons! Aim-"

"Wait!" Jesse stepped forward, halting the firing squad's movements. "This is wrong, and we all know it!" Fives and Hardcase joined in too.

"The General is making a mistake and he needs to be called on it! No clone should have to go out this way!"

Fives nodded to Hardcase's protest. "We are loyal soldiers. We follow orders, but we are not _droids_! We are _men_ , and we must be trusted to make the right decision. Especially when the orders we are given are _wrong_!" The ARC trooper then looked at Ahsoka. "Commander Tano has done nothing wrong. She has saved us in more ways than one. She saved us all from certain death when she destroyed the supply ship. She stayed behind, willing to sacrifice her life so the three of us," He nodded to his two brothers beside him, "could escape with our lives. She has followed us into battle countless times and-"

"Fives." She stopped him. "It's okay. I don't need defending for what I did. I would have done it a million times over, even if it meant I had died with that ship."

"Commander-"

"Fire!" All fell silent after the blasters fired in unison.

She felt no pain. A moment passed, and she was still standing, so she opened her eyes. The firing squad, Dogma, and Rex stood there.

"What-what happened?!" Dogma demanded, seeing the four of them unshot. The squad all dropped their weapons and stood at attention.

"They're doing the right thing Dogma," Rex explained bitterly. "Because if this is how soldiers and friends are rewarded for heroic actions, then one day, this entire battalion may meet a similar fate." He looked to Tup and Kix. "Take their binders off. Kix, check over Commander Tano's wounds, see what you can do." The twp nodded and walked over to them, quickly taking off the binders on their wrists.

"No!" Dogma exclaimed. "We have orders! We need to go-"

"Good luck finding anyone to do it." Rex spat at him. The Captain came up to them and placed a hand on Fives' shoulder, the two exchanging a nod. He then turned to her, and with Kix, escorted her to the med bay.

* * *

After a couple of bacta patches and some words of advice from Kix, she was dismissed from the med bay and was walking down the corridor towards the barracks when she ran into Tup.

"Commander!"

"Tup? What's going on?"

"General Krell has ordered our platoons to gear up and head out. Umbarans ambushed one of the 212th's platoons and took their armor hoping to get past us by looking like clones." He quickly explained, moving past her. "Rex told me to tell you to stay here-"

"Not a chance." She shot back and proceeded to follow him down the corridor, the opposite way she was originally heading. They quickly met up with the platoons, though Jesse, Hardcase, and Fives weren't there, likely because Krell had them immediately sent back to the bridge. Though Rex, and surprisingly others protested her being there, she went along nonetheless.

Rex handed over her sabers, which she had given to him before she went to see Krell following the supply ship's destruction. She gave him a grateful and fond smile, nudging him with her shoulder before taking the lead in marching to the coordinates.

* * *

Dogma was beside her, probably to keep an eye on her. He was still... new... she supposed (she hated that word) so he followed orders more strictly than the others who had been with them for months or even years. He had his back turned, watching their flank in case the enemy sneaked up from behind.

They had marched maybe a little less than a mile before they fully entered sneak mode, nearing the middle point of the 501st and the 212nd.

While they trekked through the terrain, she noticed a similar vine up ahead, and Dogma seemed none the wiser. She whipped her arm out, stopping him effectively when he walked into it. "Careful. Watched this thing attack us when we first arrived. Watch." She scooped up a rock and threw it against the giant mound nearby. It cracked open and snarled, vines weaving about searching for unknowing prey.

"Gross." Dogma shivered, to which she snickered. 

"It'll chew you up and spit you out."

"Ew." The clone groaned in disgust.

"Tell me about it." She hummed then paused. "Dogma?"

"Hm?"

"Be careful out here, yeah?"

"Yes, sir-"

"Ambush!" Shot were heard up ahead. The Commander and soldier exchanged a glance before rushing up. Soldiers in front of her were falling, from deadly accurate shots. The Umbarans they face before were never this accurate with their blasters, even with their advantage of the knowledge of the terrain and wildlife.

Almost immediately after running into the fray, she ran right smack into someone. She yelped as they tumbled down the hill. She definitely tore the bacta patches and probably got a bunch of new scrapes and bruises from the way her body ached when they reached the bottom. A groan escaped her before a blaster was pointed at her face.

She couldn't do anything as they readied the trigger and began to- they paused. "Commander Tano?" A voice echoed. A very... very familiar voice. She watched them lower the blaster and begin to take off their helmet. A shot fired. A hole burned through the clone's chest, just below the heart, likely in one of his lungs. They gasped and coughed, falling to their knees in front of her. She couldn't help the horrified scream that left her as she rushed forward to catch them. They landed in her arms, tense and groaning.

With a heave, she dragged them over to a nearby rock, the sounds of battle still echoing in the background. They were breathing shakily and reached out for her hand. She immediately took it and held it tightly, running her other hand over it, cooing gentle words to them. She hurried to take off their helmet, a helmet now that she looked at it, was familiar. She only knew one clone to have a Twi'lek girl drawn on it. Waxer.

"Waxer..." She whispered to him as she took his hand once again. "Hang on, okay? Dogma!" She shouted over her shoulder. The soldier came rushing, blaster at the ready but stopped dead 5 feet away from them. His blaster fell from his hands. "Dogma, get Kix! Or- no tell Rex! This isn't the Umbarans!" She exclaimed, the shiny rushing off to do... she wasn't sure.

She looked around, even in Waxer's pack to see if there was anything to help him. Unfortunately, she found nothing. His breathing was getting worse, uneven and weak.

Her mind spun. She didn't know what to do. There weren't any bacta patches- wait.

With a cry of pain, she ripped the bacta patch from her shoulder, her burns feeling better but still painful. She heard Waxer attempt to protest, but he was unable.

She struggled, but she got his chest plate off and ripped his shirt, placing what remained of the bacta patch on the wound. His breathing eased slightly, but it was still weak and he was coughing. This was all she could so, and hope for the best. She placed her hand on top of the bacta patch and held it down, taking Waxer's hand with her other one, and placing it on her collarbone. "Waxer? Waxer, listen to me. Try and match my breathing, okay?" She whispered to him, unaware of the shouting coming from the battle.

She took slow and deep breaths, ones Waxer tried to match, but his breathing was still shaky. She held his hand tightly, trying her best to comfort him and not fail. "C-Commander..." He coughed but she hushed him.

"Shh... you need to relax. Please. We'll get you help soon-"

"Commander. It's-it's too late for me. General-" He coughed harshly, his eyes fluttering.

"Waxer, no Waxer keep your goddamn eyes open." She ordered him, lightly hitting his cheek to keep his eyes open. He nodded but his head lolled to the side, and there he stayed. He was still breathing and moved his eyes, but he seemed to have lost his strength. "Goddammit Waxer!"

"Commander!" She whipped her head around to see Dogma, Kix, and most importantly Rex rush down the hill. Kix ran up to Waxer and slid on his knees, digging through his pack. The medic paused when he saw the torn bacta patch soaked with blood already on the wound, but then noticed his Commander was missing hers. He ignored it, for now, digging out a fresh one and removing the old one, bandaging the wound with care, but one that made Waxer groan in intense pain, all the while holding Ahsoka's hand.

"Rex this-"

"We know." He cut her off. He looked dead. Eyes sunken, skin pale, and he was breathing shallow. Almost scared, she placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder. The reaction was immediate.

He wrapped himself around her, shaking, hands digging into the cloth on her skin, holding her tightly. She almost couldn't breathe, but that didn't stop her from holding him too, hushing him in attempts to comfort him.

"Commander. He's- he's not going to make it," Kix interrupted them, leaving Ahsoka to go to Waxer, kneeling before him. He looked exhausted, but the important thing was that he was still breathing. For now.

"Waxer? What happened?" She whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder.

The clone coughed, but when he spoke, it was much more clear than when he had tried earlier. "It was... it was General Krell. He- he sent us to these coordinates to- to stop the enemy. He-" he had to stop to take shaky breaths. "He told us they were- were wearing our armor. But- but-" A lone tear fell from his eye at the horror that reality was. She hushed him and looked to Kix, who nodded and knelt beside him. 

"Kix, you and-" She looked to the 212th medic.

"Cage, sir."

"You and Cage stay here and tend to the wounded, I'll round up everyone else." She ordered and looked at Dogma. "You, stay here with them, make sure they'll be okay. Find some others to stay here too. I don't want them being ambushed." Her voice left no room for arguments as she left, Rex in tow.

* * *

She and Rex gathered the survivors, which sadly was not many, maybe 50-60. They lined up and stood at attention, while she crossed her arms, letting Rex speak. "We all know who's responsible for what happened out there. What we don't know, is why." He looked to her and she nodded, a frown embedded on her lips. "Something needs to be done. What we're proposing, is highly treasonous. If any man chooses to opt-out, do it now."

They all stepped forward. Rex looked to her and nodded. She pushed herself up from her position leaning against a tree and looked to the clones. "From this point forward, we are entering uncharted territory. Your orders are: arrest General Krell for treason against the Republic." She explained, to which they all nodded. "10 of us will go with me and Rex to arrest Krell. The rest of you gather below the tower, in case he tries to escape, understood?" She was answered with a 'sir, yes, sir' from the troops. "Okay, boys. Follow me."

* * *

After getting Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase they went up to the top floor of the tower. She took the lead, the troops following her orders and circling around the General, who just stood there with his arms crossed behind him. "General Krell. You're being relieved of duty." Rex spat, holding his DCs up. Ahsoka held her saber hilts in her hands, but she had not yet ignited them.

A chuckle escaped Krell as he turned to face them. "It's treason then."

"Surrender, Krell." The name felt like poison in her mouth.

"You're committing mutiny Captain. And for what? Your precious Commander. Doing everything she tells you... without question." He hummed.

She felt Rex stiffen beside her.

"Yes, Captain. I am well aware of your current... emotions, towards this young Padawan." He waved a hand at her. The entire room filled with tension, but of a different kind. The other troopers, mainly of the 212th looked to Rex. "Tell me something, Captain. If she had been responsible for everything that has occurred, would you do the same as you do now?" His words echoed in Rex's head.

He found he couldn't answer. He knew he'd stand beside her until the end.

"Explain your actions, Krell!" Ahsoka jumped in, reminding everyone in the room why they were here in the first place. "You ordered your troops against one another."

"Oh, that." He hummed as though it had slipped his mind. She made a hand gestured for the troops to move in. However, as they closed in on him, he force-pushed them away. They slammed into the walls, giving Krell time to ignited his sabers. Ahsoka followed shortly behind, standing in front of some of her fallen troops.

They fired upon him but he easily deflected their blasts, killing the troops with their own weapons. She rushed forward and slammed her saber against his. He grunted but easily batted her away, dodging her strikes and making his own.

(For reference I'm going off the Ahsoka vs Grevious fight and the Ahsoka vs Inquisitors fight for this)

She sheathed her sabers when he backed up and slammed him out of the video with a force push. The glass shattered and the General fell from the top of the tower towards the ground. She didn't hesitate as she ran forward and leaped from the window herself. She landed with ease, finding Krell slaughtering more of her men as they tried to fight him off. She raced forward, but Krell was ready. He blocked her attack, and vice versa when he made one of his own. 

With a huff she pushed him away and leaped over him, making a slash in his back, cutting through his robe and burning his skin. The Jedi Master screeched and swung his sabers at her with newfound aggression. She found it hard to fight off his power slams, so she resorted to dodging and going on the defensive. There were some near misses, both of the lightly hitting one another, leaving each other with wounds and scrapes.

Both were quickly losing their stamina, and they needed the fight to end quickly.

Eventually, during a blade lock, she took a deep breath, leaped back, and with a quick prayer to the force, she ducked and rolled between his legs. With her teal saber, she slashed at his shoulder. The General let out a howl of pure agony. His two left arms, now severed and lying limp on the ground, gave her the advantage she needed. She took her other blade and slashed aggressively, forcing him to back up farther and farther. He snarled at her but she only growled back, slamming her sabers against his.

With a final cry, she jumped at him and slammed her saber down the hilt of his double-bladed one, shattering the weapon in half. The blades sheathed, leaving him defenseless. Before the General could do any more, he had slumped to the ground, hit with a stun bolt.

"He's stunned, Sir," Tup reported to her. She nodded, feeling the exhaustion catching up to her.

"Good work. Bind his wrists. Let's get him in the brig." 

"Yes, sir." It took 3 of them to drag him back to the base and get him in the cell, but she imagined it would have been more if he still had his other two arms. By the time they got back, Kix, Cage, Dogma, and the rest of the wounded had returned. They were shocked to see Krell, not to mention his missing limbs, dragged to the brig and locked up. Kix immediately brought her to the med bay to be cleaned up and taken care of. Luckily, he told her, none of them would scar.

She didn't even realize she had fallen asleep until she woke up, finding Rex at the side of her bed, his hand holding hers. He was asleep.

Her digits squeezed his, startling her when he squeezed back. His eyes cracked open. A soft smile appeared on their faces as they watched each other. She took the chance to look him over, relieved to see he was okay. "Hey."

"Hey."

* * *

It was horrible, hearing Krell's reasoning for all he had done. She could only imagine how it was for Rex and the rest of the troops. They were designed to follow the Jedi. They believed all Jedi were good and knew best. All of that had been shattered.

To hear a Jedi believe that the Republic would fall, that the Jedi would be destroyed from within, it was terrible. It made her want to shrink in on herself and never return.

Thanks to Krell, and a warning from Master Kenobi, they learned the Umbarans were making their way to the base in order to free Krell. She, Jesse, Fives, and Rex all agreed they needed to do something. As long as Krell was alive, he was a threat to everyone. This left only one option.

* * *

He was there kneeling before him, taunting him. It was true. He was afraid. Terrified even. Of what, he wasn't certain. Maybe it was killing his superior, terrified of being marked as a traitor, fear of the guilt he'd feel every time he'd look at his brothers from now on.

Ahsoka had offered, hell, Fives offered to, but he felt it was his duty as Captain to punish Krell for what he had done.

But now that he was here, his hand holding the blaster shaking, it became clear. He couldn't do it. Even after everything Krell had done, he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger.

A hand touched his shoulder. He didn't even have to look to know it was her. Her gentle hands took the blaster from him, while he felt Fives move him back. His brothers stood next to him, as a way of showing their support, and he felt their hands on his shoulders, their sign of affection.

A blaster shot fired.

Instead of the thump of a body, he heard a scream. He looked up, seeing Krell had a blaster hole through his shoulder. "That's for Ringo." She fired again, hitting him in the hip. "That's for Xeth." She shot him again. "That's for Waxer." She stepped forward with each shot she hit him with until she was a foot behind him. "And this, this one is for me." She fired. Krell's body slumped to the ground. She turned around, the cell sealing itself once she was out. It was done.

* * *

Anakin could not remember the last time he had rushed so quickly to a planet. Maybe to save Padme, probably. The Blue Shadow Virus. Ah yes, that was it.

But when he heard what had happened from Obi-wan, he didn't even care that he had left the chancellor. His men, his padawan _needed_ him.

By the time that he had arrived, it had been nearly 3 days since Krell was executed. Everything seemed back to normal, but he sensed the unease coming from his men. Their trust in the Jedi had been severely damaged. He would need to fix that.

He couldn't find Ahsoka, nor Rex, but after asking around, he finally found them. They were hunched in a corner by supply crates. Both were asleep, leaning against the wall, and on each other. They looked exhausted, giant bags under their eyes, and he saw Ahsoka covered in bacta patches.

"This is the first time they got to rest since it happened, Sir." He looked at Fives who was next to him. "They spent the last few days making sure everyone was okay and that we wouldn't be attacked. No sleep, little food... surprised the entire company they didn't collapse until now." The ARC Trooper held a fond tone as he looked at the two of them. "I uh- I actually had to write the report because they were so busy."

What he didn't include was how much of the report was a lie. Most of it being the Krell situation. After much pleading, Fives gave in and covered up Krell's attempt to execute his Commander and his brothers, as well as himself. The other major thing he changed was Krell's death. In order to protect Ahsoka, he lied, saying Rex had killed him, and that the scattered blaster holes were caused from Krell's attempt to escape.

He felt horrible lying to his General, but his loyalty lied with Rex, and by extension, Ahsoka.

Anakin huffed out a laugh. "Huh, I thought it sounded a bit more casual than usual." He gave Fives a side glance. The Trooper ducked his head sheepishly. "Fives. Thank you. For keeping an eye on them."

"Of course, Sir."

The Jedi Knight looked at them, a blank look on his face. He noticed the way they curled in on each other, how Ahsoka tucked her head in between Rex's shoulder and collarbone. The way Rex seemed to curl himself around her like he was a barrier. "They're close."

"After everything that happened, General, I'm not surprised." Fives kept an even voice. "Krell nearly had her executed, and Rex tried to take the blame. They have each other's backs." Fives risked looking at the General. "Like you and the senator."

Anakin sighed. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddamn. I am so sorry this took so long. Also sorry if the ending was a little rushed, I might go and fix it but who knows. Well then, hallelujah, Umbara is done. Next is the Slavery Trade arc (is that what it's called?)
> 
> More Rexsoka in that probably. If you guys have any suggestions for stories/oneshots feel free to tell me! I'm all ears


End file.
